5 HN users recommended this lecture5 months2019–2024score 6.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Repeatedly recommended as one of the most approachable introductions to lambda calculus and combinators.
Gabriel Lebec's Fullstack Academy talk introduces lambda calculus syntax, the history of mathematical logic, and the essence of functional programming using JavaScript. It also covers combinators, currying and Church encodings.
“they are the most approachable videos on the topic I have ever seen.” (HN, 2024)
Just last night I found this excellent introduction to the Lambda Calculus by Gabriel Lebec [1]. It's one of the best I've come across and covers briefly history, building up combinators (using Smullyan's names) leading up to implementing Church encodings and gives Javascript equivalents (or approximations when not possible). The slides themselves are also very aesthetically pleasing, Gabriel has a good sense of colour and design [1] [this video]
Intro to combinators and Church encodings with JavaScript equivalents
For anyone interested in the topic (combinatory logic as told through the medium of birds) I adore Gabriel Lebec's talk "A Flock Of Functions: Combinators, Lambda Calculus & Church Encodings in JavaScript" [this video]
Combinatory logic explained through birds, in JavaScript
I found these two videos on combinators and lambda calculus recently. They're only tangentially related to Haskell, but they are the most approachable videos on the topic I have ever seen. [this video] [link]
Approachable videos on combinators and lambda calculus
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