Higher level programming languages make it easier for humans to
write programs, reason about programs, and to communicate with each
other about programming. Higher level languages do not do one wit for
the machine, which doesn't "understand" the program in the first
place. Of course higher level languages are very highly constrained
and rule bound, so is the language of mathematics. Nevertheless, both the speakers
and the listeners of high level programming languages are humans.
Computers aren't necessary in the equation.