Is code art? Well certainly I've seen some good-looking, clever code before, but do my class names inspire the next engineer to change their lives? Probably not.

I think that's where these discussions really fall apart. Sure algorithms or equations or schematics could be very artistic. What "art" is is highly subjective, but you should never forget that art often inspires people and leads them to new places. Its not the only lens to view art, certainly, but its one I like to pull out when these discussions happen. After all, if we call everything art, then nothing is art.