Introduction
If there’s one language that can claim true OG status, it’s Lisp.
Born in 1958, Lisp is one of the oldest programming languages still in use today, second only to Fortran.
But unlike Fortran, Lisp never really faded away.
Instead, it quietly influenced modern languages like Python, JavaScript, and Ruby, and it remains popular in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and symbolic computing.
The History of Lisp
Lisp was invented by John McCarthy at MIT in 1958. It was the second high-level programming language ever created, after Fortran.
(To me, its Crazy how far ahead LISP was in ideas , especially given how early it was created…. )
Why Was Lisp Created?
- McCarthy was working on artificial intelligence and needed a language for symbolic computing.
- Unlike Fortran, which was focused on numerical calculations, Lisp was built to manipulate symbols and lists.
- It introduced garbage collection, recursion, and first-class functions—all groundbreaking at the time.
Key Innovations of Lisp
✅ First-Class Functions → Functions are treated like any other data.
✅ Garbage Collection → Lisp was the first language to have it!
✅ Homoiconicity → Lisp code and data share the same structure, allowing powerful metaprogramming.
✅ Interactive Development → The Lisp REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop) influenced Python and JavaScript.
Further Reading:
Lisp’s Influence on Modern Languages
| Feature | Lisp | Modern Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Everything is an Expression | ✅ Yes | ✅ Python, Ruby |
| Dynamic Typing | ✅ Yes | ✅ Python, JavaScript |
| First-Class Functions | ✅ Yes | ✅ JavaScript, Clojure, Haskell |
| Homoiconicity (Code as Data) | ✅ Yes | ❌ Most languages lack this |
| Garbage Collection | ✅ Yes | ✅ Java, Python, C# |
| Metaprogramming | ✅ Yes | ✅ Python (Metaclasses), Ruby |
💡 Verdict: Lisp introduced features that are now standard in modern programming languages!
Lisp Syntax Table
| Concept | Lisp Code | Equivalent in Python / Java |
|---|---|---|
| Hello World | (print "Hello, World!") | print("Hello, World!") / System.out.println("Hello, World!"); |
| Variables | (setq x 42) | x = 42 / int x = 42; |
| Loops | (loop for i from 1 to 10 do (print i)) | for i in range(1, 11): print(i) / for (int i=1; i<=10; i++) |
| Conditionals | (if (> x 5) (print "High")) | if x > 5: print('High') / if (x > 5) { System.out.println('High'); } |
| Functions (Methods) | (defun square (x) (* x x)) | def square(x): return x * x / int square(int x) { return x * x; } |
| Lists | (list 1 2 3 4 5) | [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] |
| Recursion | (defun factorial (n) (if (= n 0) 1 (* n (factorial (- n 1))))) | def factorial(n): return 1 if n == 0 else n * factorial(n - 1) |
10 Lisp Code Examples
1. Hello, World!
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2. Declaring Variables
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3. If-Else Statement
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4. For Loop
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5. Function Definition
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6. Lists
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7. Recursion (Factorial)
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8. Map Function (Apply to Each Element of List)
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9. Lambda Functions
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10. Macros (Metaprogramming Example)
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Is Lisp Still Relevant?
✅ It powers AI and machine learning → Lisp was heavily used in AI research and inspired languages like Clojure.
✅ It pioneered modern programming features → Dynamic typing, garbage collection, REPLs, and higher-order functions.
✅ It’s one of the most flexible languages ever created → Homoiconicity allows powerful metaprogramming.
💡 Even though Lisp isn’t mainstream, it’s still used in AI, research, and specialized fields.
Want to Try Lisp? Check out these online interpreters:
Key Takeaways
- Lisp introduced first-class functions, garbage collection, and dynamic typing.
- It’s still widely used in AI, symbolic computing, and research.
- Modern languages like Python, JavaScript, and Ruby borrow many concepts from Lisp.
References
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