What is 'undone computer science'?
2026-05-25 • Computers and Society
Computers and Society
AI summaryⓘ
The authors explain 'undone science' as important research questions that get ignored or not funded. They explore if this happens in computer science by looking at how the field is organized and the ideas guiding it. Their goal is to find key knowledge and ethical questions that might be overlooked but matter for the field's growth.
undone sciencecomputer sciencesocial movementsscience and technology studiesepistemologyethicsresearch fundingdiscipline structurescientific paradigms
Authors
Chantal Enguehard, Guillaume Munch-Maccagnoni, Alberto Naibo
Abstract
The concept of 'undone science' emerged in the 2010s in research in social sciences at the intersection of studies on social movements and of science and technology studies. It refers to research questions that are neglected, ignored, or left unfunded, even though they deserve to be explored. The aim of this special issue is to apply this concept to computer science, by examining whether the way this discipline is structured (including its sociological, economic, and political dimensions), as well as the paradigms that shape it, make it possible to identify epistemological and ethical questions that are crucial for its development and conception.