The author of “The Cathedral of Computation” discusses a cultural tendency towards conflating algorithms with complex systems which incorporate algorithms. I feel as though this phenomenon stems from a general misunderstanding of computers and the algorithm. It is difficult to be aware of the limitations of the algorithm without being somewhat familiar with the process of coding.

Decades ago, the mechanisms with which products were created and the manner in which products function was easier to understand. For example, it was not very difficult to understand how a carriage was constructed, and the manner in which it functioned. However, with the widespread incorporation of computers — and by extension the algorithm — into the goods and services which we consume, the internal mechanisms of these goods and services are obfuscated. Even though many people use Wi-Fi on a daily basis, few people are aware of how it really works. The only thing people are aware of is that this technology involves computers and algorithms. As a direct result of this lack of understanding, the algorithm has become a mythological entity, as alluded to in the aforementioned article.

The only way to combat these misconceptions it to mandate computational literacy in the school system. Without an adequate understanding of the algorithm, humans will be further dissociated from the goods and services which they consume, as computerized entities grow increasingly prevalent. For people to truly be aware of the consequences (both positive and negative) of the computerization of society, people must first be informed. Without an adequate understanding of computers, people have limited agency, and can not participate in the necessary discussions involving the political, economic and social implications of a computerized world.