Management and mathematics
cs.utexas.edu
cs.utexas.edu
Dijkstra gets that we shouldn't anthropomorphise computers: they do what they do. Deal with it via logic. Then he ventures into sociology and his insight deserts him. Anthropomorphising organisations as persons who love unwisely leads nowhere.
This is powerful but somewhat perverse sounding piece.
I think that one can indeed ascribe mediocrity to the corporate world, one could also say that what exists is "organizational intelligence" or narrow thinking and a willingness to go along with prevailing approaches. Still, if it is not stupidity, it is something so similar, it takes an expert to tell the difference.
One further thing to think about is that tendencies toward mediocrity which Djikstra could point to in the corporate world can now found much more in academia as it is corporatized.
Corporations have learned the value of knowledge and flexibility and academia and government has become more like corporations.
Someone with sub-par mathematical abilities could still be a stellar visual artist or visa-versa.
One company uses an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system that does massive computations based upon the contents of its data base and delivers precise instructions to its users.
The other presents basically the same data on a fairly sophisticated workbench and expects the user to combine that data with what is not on the data base to make a decision.
Guess which company purchased the other?
in the spirit of tfa, erp encourages mediocre users. so, the company with users who have to take responsibility wins.