The empirical process of the scientific method is what came to mind as opposed to the more mathematical theory of computation would be my interpretation.

Sussman went on to write a textbook that investigates classical mechanics starting from the Lagrangian and proceeding by way of simulation experiments in Scheme. I think the distinction is not between science and non-science, but between the "analytical-synthetic" process he mentions and the approach of understanding a living system, hence the preponderance of ecosystem metaphors (Python has the better ecosystem than Java, etc). It might be interesting to think about a science of library ecosystems (NPM, etc) but mostly this probably boils down to "exposure to the bad or inapplicable decisions of others".