Computer science traditionally focuses on algorithms. Divide-and-conquer algorithms are frequently much more clearly expressed as recursion. Quicksort is the classic example, also various tree operations.
I've never understood the fascination with programming languages among computer science folks. Just write machine code directly, it's what it compiles to anyway.
I've never understood the fascination with tail calls and recursion among computer science folks. Just write a loop, it's what it optimises to anyway.