symbol pusher

symbol pushing +‎ -er

symbol pusher (plural symbol pushers)

1. (mathematics, somewhat derogatory) Someone who engages in symbol pushing; someone solving mathematical problems by manipulating symbols (as in algebra) rather than through visual or intuitive understanding.
   • 1985, Jerry R. Hobbs, Robert C. Moore, Formal Theories of the Commonsense World, Ablex Pub., →ISBN, page 444:

     That is to say, in both cases we have in mind an intended model or structure for our theory. We are not in the position of mere "symbol pushers."

   • 2003, Thomas R. Shultz, Computational Developmental Psychology, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 227:

     […] it is clear that the symbol pusher does not understand Chinese at all; he is only following meaningless instructions. Because computer models, particularly of the symbolic variety, are merely manipulating symbols, and hence understand nothing about what they are doing, they are poor models.

   • 2009, Paul J. Nahin, Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 282:

     While known today as a theoretician, Einstein was not just a symbol pusher; the physics of D appears in much detail in his papers on Brownian motion.