Seibel: As a programmer, do you consider yourself a scientist, an engineer,
an artist, or a craftsman?

Norvig: Well, I know when you compare the various titles of books and so on, I always thought the “craft” was the right answer. So I thought art was a little pretentious because the purpose of art is to be beautiful or to have an emotional contact or emotional impact, and I don’t feel like that’s anything
that I try to do. Certainly I want programs to be pretty in some ways, and sometimes I feel like I spend too much time doing that. I’ve been in a position where I’ve had the luxury to say, “Gee, I have time to go back and pretty this up a little bit.” And places where I’ve been able to write for a publication, you spend more time doing that than you would if it was just for your own professional growth.

But I don’t think of that as art. I think craft is really the right word for it. You can make a chair, and it’s good looking, but it’s mostly functional—it’s a chair

Coders at Work – Page 320 – Peter Norvig