Einar Høst

Infinite Lambda Calculus

Computer at NRK

Infinite Lambda Calculus

The lambda calculus is wonderfully concrete and reductionist in nature. Abstractions are anonymous and volatile, they disappear as soon as you apply them. As a consequence, there is no such thing as self-reference in lambda calculus. This is a challenge that we should make a point of fixing. Why? Since recursion is such a useful and powerful tool in programming! In this talk, we will see how we can use self-reproduction as a substitute for self-reference, enabling us to generate as much recursion as we need - and hopefully no more.

Talk objectives:

  • Derive general recursion for lambda calculus.

Target audience:

  • Curious computionists, the kind that are more likely to read a book like The Little Schemer than Enterprise Sadness Made Sadder in 21 Days.

About Einar

Einar W. Høst is a computer at NRK, the Norwegian public broadcaster. His heretic views include thinking before programming and making drawings to understand things better. This arrogant mindset no doubt stems from the idle years spent obtaining a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Oslo.

Github: einarwh

Twitter: @einarwh

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