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Special issue of the journal Cybernetics and Human Knowing dedicated to the life and work of Francisco Varela. For details see table of contents. ... Read more

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Today, we associate the relationship between feedback, control, and computing with Norbert Wiener's 1948 formulation of cybernetics. But the theoretical and practical foundations for cybernetics, control engineering, and digital computing were laid earlier, between the two world wars. In Between Human and Machine: Feedback, Control, and Computing before Cybernetics, David A. Mindell shows how the modern sciences of systems emerged from disparate engineering cultures and their convergence during World War II.

Mindell examines four different arenas of control systems research in the United States between the world wars: naval fire control, the Sperry Gyroscope Company, the Bell Telephone Laboratories, and Vannevar Bush's laboratory at MIT. Each of these institutional sites had unique technical problems, organizational imperatives, and working environments, and each fostered a distinct engineering culture. Each also developed technologies to represent the world in a machine.

At the beginning of World War II, President Roosevelt established the National Defense Research Committee, one division of which was devoted to control systems. Mindell shows how the NDRC brought together representatives from the four pre-war engineering cultures, and how its projects synthesized conceptions of control, communications, and computing. By the time Wiener articulated his vision, these ideas were already suffusing through engineering. They would profoundly influence the digital world.

As a new way to conceptualize the history of computing, this book will be of great interest to historians of science, technology, and culture, as well as computer scientists and theorists. Between Human and Machine: Feedback, Control, and Computing before Cybernetics

Customer Reviews (2)

Subtitle missing
Quite interesting book, but should have a subtitle: "US Army and US industry perspective". Book concentrates almost exclusively on military applications, mostly gyroscopes, autopilots and fire controllers, designed and made in the USA for US Army. It looks like nothing was happening in the area of automatic control and computing in other places of the world.

It would be good to inform the author that "ShannonTheorem" is elsewhere known as "Kotelnikov-Shannon Theorem", and it would be good to recommed him a book like "Theory of Oscillations" by Andronov, Vitt and Khaiking published by Dover in 1966. This book is reprit of a book published in Soviet Union in 1937. Book is in large part about feedback in nonlinear control systems and describes methods of analysis that are currently used.

Although interesting, this book addresses only small slice of history of automatic control before the era of electronic computers.

Very valuable contribution to the history of computing
Professor Mindell has rendered a great service to the history of computing through painstaking original research that supports this well-written book.He examines how civilian mathematicians, engineers, and scientists worked on the practical problem of improving the effectiveness of anti-air-craft fire during World War II.AT&T's Bell Telephone Laboratories, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and U.S. Navy contractors like Sperry Gyroscope and Ford Instruments collaborated in this interdisciplinary endeavor.Fire control entailed obtaining data on incoming planes or missiles, projecting their course, and computing an intercepting solution.Analog computers were proven and suited for this circumstance.
Mindell's book sheds valuable light on the contributions of many brilliant technologists, among them Thornton Fry, Harold Black, Harry Nyquist, George Stibitz, Hendrik Bode, and Claude Shannon from Bell Labs, and Harold Hazen, Gordon Brown, Norbert Wiener, and Samuel Caldwell of MIT.His book also adds further evidence of the extraordinary legacies of Vannevar Bush and Warren Weaver. During World War II, Bush headed the National Defense Research Committee that provided an avenue for civilian scientists to contribute toward military technologies.Bush chose his friend mathematician Weaver from the Rockefeller Foundation to steer the important project of fire control.Going beyond Mindell's book, Princeton mathematicians were involved in fire control, since the university was then the epicenter of U.S. mathematics, including Sam Wilks, Merrell Flood, John W. Tukey, Brockway McMillan, among others. Later in the war, Weaver shifted out of managing fire control into leading other NDRC applications of mathematics to problems of WWII.This story has not been told. ... Read more

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The new and rapidly growing field of communication sciences owes as much to Norbert Wiener as to any one man. He coined the word for it--cybernetics. In God & Golem, Inc., the author concerned himself with major points in cybernetics which are relevant to religious issues.The first point he considers is that of the machine which learns. While learning is a property almost exclusively ascribed to the self-conscious living system, a computer now exists which not only can be programmed to play a game of checkers, but one which can "learn" from its past experience and improve on its own game. For a time, the machine was able to beat its inventor at checkers. "It did win," writes the author, "and it did learn to win; and the method of its learning was no different in principle from that of the human being who learns to play checkers.A second point concerns machines which have the capacity to reproduce themselves. It is our commonly held belief that God made man in his own image. The propagation of the race may also be interpreted as a function in which one living being makes another in its own image. But the author demonstrates that man has made machines which are "very well able to make other machines in their own image," and these machine images are not merely pictorial representations but operative images. Can we then say: God is to Golem as man is to Machines? in Jewish legend, golem is an embryo Adam, shapeless and not fully created, hence a monster, an automation.The third point considered is that of the relation between man and machine. The concern here is ethical. "render unto man the things which are man's and unto the computer the things which are the computer's," warns the author. In this section of the book, Dr. Wiener considers systems involving elements of man and machine.The book is written for the intellectually alert public and does not involve any highly technical knowledge. It is based on lectures given at Yale, at the Société Philosophique de Royaumont, and elsewhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A worthwhile venture
Weiner was something of a revolutionary in his time. He (among others) pushed the revolution in computing out of the slipstick era. He, at the height of the Cold War, wrote for audiences in both the USSR and the USA. Small wonder that he took on religion. I mean that he took it on as a duty and companion, not as an opponent, though many might have seen opposition.

Much of this book lacks direction. He skims issues that are still contentious, including the right to die. His arguments about self-reproducing machines tend twaords the vague, although he admits that he avoided tedious precision. Many of his points are clear and sharp, however. Drawing on the genie in the bottle, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, and other popular literature, he argues that the capabilities of technology steadily run ahead of our ability to predict and mitigate its consequences. He also notes, during first light of the transistor age, that "Living matter has a fine structure ... [approached by] machines which operate according to the principles of solid-state physics." As usual, technological optimism carried him well beyond justifiable extrapolation. Also as usual, he had a fair inkling of how today's 0.1 micron transistors might compare to 1.0 micron brain cells.

His sharpest commentary starts in the faith that scientists and engineers are moral people, and work in the belief of the human good that comes from their life's work. (Please, don't descend to the belief that we think we are evil people reveling in evil outcomes.) Weiner notes that the deepest hell in Dante's Inferno is reserved for the sin of simony - directing the Church's good power to personal gain, using the force of money. He draws a direct analogy to the sin of corrupting vast technological power towards personal gain, also using money as controlling force. If you're already queasy about the amorality of the MBA's "bottom line" ethos, this may give you some very bad dreams.

It's an important book. It's flawed, but has the honesty to ask hard questions. It also has the courage to attach a moral sense to the analytic trait of mind - it ought not be surprising that the two fit closely.

Among all the quotable lines in this book, one stands out: "... remember that in the game of atomic warfare, there are no experts." Here, now, under the president that demolished 30 years of arms control treaties, it's a phrase to remember.

//wiredweird

Good retrospective of the history of computing
Written in 1964 when the concept of a human interacting dynamically with a machine was first becoming a reality, there are facets of this book that are dated. Nevertheless, the concepts that are described are still as pertinent today as they were when Wiener first set down his thoughts. The book is a collection of essays where Wiener explains his ideas for what he thinks the future holds for humans interacting with machines.
The approach is very non-technical so it is possible for the lay person to understand his thoughts. The prose is also well structured, making it very easy to read through. Reading this book is a good way to go back in time and get some idea of what the early experts thought would be the direction and consequences of the development of the new "thinking machines". It is also an excellent choice for gaining a retrospective in any history of computing course.

Technological Ethics
A brief series of personal essays by famous mathematician Norbert Wiener on the ethics of modern technology and questions whether humans should follow all leads of technology regardless of the consequences. An easy-to-read, informative book. No technical background is needed to understand the arguments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The other side of the coin to his other book "Three Magic Words"
This book was published in the 1960s (after looking through all his other books which are mostly philosophical rather than practical especially "Three Magic Words", which he says in one of his books, is the other side of the coin to "Success-Cybernetics") and is in my opinion, the best and most practical one. There are some good pointers and may seem common sense to most people already. However, I have found that you have to sift through the myriad of stories to get at his points in each one, most of the time.

Tough-love that works
Don't look for gentle handholding in this book. The reader is called to the carpet for not taking action and attaining success where desired. This is not your 21st century coddling politically-correct self-help text. The author is particularly harsh on religion, especially Christianity (although he takes many shots at Buddhism and Taoism). If you can get past that, there is some extremely useful information here.

Cybernetics is the science of feedback loops. Try something-then evaluate the results-then make adjustments-then try again. Anderson encourages using this idea for your life. If an action isn't producing the desired results, try something else. Eventually, you will get on the right track, everything will become automatic, and the success loop will re-enforce itself. He promotes this simple idea through many motivating and colorful stories.

While some readers may find his style coarse, I found it was exactly the kick in the pants that I needed. Something I had been procrastinating over/avoiding for over two years I finally got done thanks to Anderson's writing. I believe that is the highest form of praise for any motivational book.

Keep what works, get rid of the things that don't work ...
One of the best lines in the book,says Keep the things, ideas that work, get rid of the things that don't work, and try the things that look like they might work.

best book I have ever read
This book is so absorbing and entertaining that you cant put it down. It will teach you the secret of succeeding at everything in your life and inspire you to do so . You'll be so excited that you will love doing thingsthat you never previously had the guts to do. A must read and referencebook on the secrets of living the way you've really dreamed of . ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Beyond 6 Stars--And a Seventh for Accessible Pricing
I could spend a lifetime reading and re-reading this book, and each of the cited sources, and not waste the time at all.This is one of the most extraordinary works I have encountered, and while I cannot do it justice, I will summarize it.Four other books that join this one in framing my third and last stage of life:
Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny
A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility--Report of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Revised and Updated 5th Anniversary Edition: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits

Bottom line:Humanity can evolve, must evolve, and the Whole Earth, Co-Evolution concepts that Stewart Brand and others pioneered (not mentioned here), that indigenous people's everywhere have understood for centuries, are a natural path for us all.We *can* create a prosperous world at peace.

Short version of the book:Synergy is cool again, synergy and self-organization complement each other and are distinct; bioeconomics is hugely important and supports the premise that the whole is larger than the sum of the parts and that interactions and exchanges can and should be done for the whole, "beyond selfishness," cybernetics rules, information is the space between, and ethics is both a form of cybernetics and a cultural adaptation that helps the whole evolve and persist.

The author earned an inter-disciplinary PhD in social and life sciences, and went on to be the director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems and has been active in: International Society for the Systems Sciences; International Society for Bioeconomics; Association for Politics and the Life Sciences; Epic of Evolution Society; International Society for Human Ethology; Human Behavior and Evolution Society; International Society for Endocytobiology; European Sociobiological Society, and International Association for Cybernetics.

I've never heard of any of these, but mention them to both praise the author's inter-disciplinary background, and point out that it is not all that inter-disciplinary (see the Web of Knowledge at the Phi Beta Iota Public Intelligence Blog version of this review).Four books from a world that is NOT covered by this extraordinary book:
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Conscious Evolution: Awakening Our Social Potential
Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming

This book is easier to read than E. O. Wilson's CONSILIENCE, and every bit as erudite.Within each chapter I absolutely marveled at the history and the homework that went into summarizing the history of the ideas developed therein.

This is such a complex and deep book I would have preferred the notes on their respective page, and chapter-specific bibliographies in addition to the consolidated one.This book needs its own web page, and would be extremely interesting as a Wiki-book with infinite branching.

QUOTE:Holistic Darwinism is not a different theory; it involves a different perspective on the evolutionary process.

QUOTE:Holistic Darwinism is distinctive in that it is concerned especially with the bioeconomics--the functional costs and benefits--of cooperative phenomena of all kinds.

I smile for two reasons: first, Tom Atlee's new book, Reflections on Evolutionary Activism, will be on Amazon shortly (is at Phi Beta Iota now); and second, having just read a book that taught me we now have neuro-economists, I marvel at how an entire fraudulent discipline is finally finding respectability by devolving back to the real world.

This book by itself is a PhD if fully exploited, which I cannot.A few high points:

+Sociobiology favors democracy, those who says it does not are in error.I agree.

+Recognizing inter-dependence is an "aha" moment (the Republican word is epiphany).

+Genes alone don't cut it.Culture and cybernetics are integral to human consciousness and evolution and outcome.

BIG INSIGHT FOR ME:The more complex a society or superorganism becomes, the more vital it is that it develop faster, better, cheaper feedback loops with less and less corruption of signal.This is consistent with all of my reading on the collapse of complex societies, and the author covers that literature.He does not, however, mention Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems or other related books on resilience.

+Bioeconomics first written about in 1913 (that the author can determine).Focuses on the acquisition of resources by living beings, the author concluding that humanity is a collective survival enterprise.

KEYWORDS: network theory, network dynamics, niche construction, emergence theory, evolutionary developmental systems theory, systems biology, gene-culture co-evolution theory, and many more.

+ Politics is badly formed and badly executed human cybernetics.

+ Political ecosystem is ready for Evolutionary Activism (my conclusion)

+ Richard Dawkins made a huge contribution but was a reductionist.Holistic Darwinism is a segue to neo-Darwinism and inspired by Dawkins.

+Cooperation and complexity go together--Tom Atlee would say that competition and cooperation go together.Both Atlee and this author discuss non-zero, win-win and related strategies.

+Prime mover theories don't stand up, convergences do.

+In his review of the collapse literature, I keep coming back to inadequate responses, and the reality that inadequate responses are tied to corruption and the loss of integrity in feedback loops.

QUOTE:"In short, a global superorganism will succeed only as a cooperative process in which the pooling of sovereignty on a global level is viewed as mutualistic and is not seen as the imposition of a regime that serves the interests of only one power, or one segment of the world community, namely the rich countries and multinational firms."

+The author speaks of a need for integrating anthropology with economics and the life sciences, in my view he does not go nearly far enough, some of us are already at Web 4.0 and thinking about how Cognitive Science on the one side (this book being part of that side) and Collective Intelligence on the other (see Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace) must inevitably integrate all information in all languages all the time, and connect all human minds to all of that information in near-real-time.I won't like to my books, they are easily found.

The author concludes that the social sciences have failed, and I quite agree.

Keeps getting better
This work states the case for the importance of synergy across biology and economics much more solidly than his prior work. It is surprising that the book has not gotten a review until now. I wish that works like this were getting more attention than the intelligent design vs. evolution debate. Corning assembles a lot of evidence to point towards the "new evolutionary paradigm." I cannot think of another work which marshalls so many parallel lines of research to where a new synthesis might be coming. Readable, sometimes polemical, informative, and clear. At some point, though, there is almost too much thrown into his case. Four sections packed in a lot: Synergy and evolution, Bioeconomics, Thermodynamics of life, and Evolutionary ethics. The thermodynamics section was a gem on the often confused subject of how biology meets thermodynamic theory. His idea: "In sum, the development of novel bioenergetic technologies in the evolutionary process has had little to do with entropy or dissipative structures and much more to do with engineering--design improvements in the ability of living systems to capture and utilize available energy. It is the organized use of available energy in evolved, informed (cybernetic) structures that has been the key, as noted earlier. And the explanation for these changes lies in their economic advantages, as Lotka long ago suggested." (p. 351)

A great read; a passionate and encylopedic collection of current ideas assembled into an intriguing hypothesis. I look forward to other reviews of his work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Classic Sci-Fi
Cybernetic Brain is probably the first SCI-FI book I ever read.In the early 60's computers were just being thought of and the public saw them as something futuristic.Jones weaves a timeless story that somehow foresaw the ways computers would become a part of our everyday life.What was fantasy then is near reality now with the advances in "mind controlled" mechanisms.It's a fun read that is still relevant today.A must for any true SCI-Fi fan. ... Read more

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This Is A Study Of Human Control Functions And Mechanico-Electrical Systems Designed To Replace Them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Amazing book..turned a high-school dropout into a high-tech success
I was 26 when I first read and used this book. I was a high-school dropout (9th grade) and doing unskilled labor in the abrasive industry. I saw tremendous results in a very short time, so much so it frightened me ( be careful what you wish for syndrome). Today (I'm now 57) I can look back over a great career in high tech and a great marriage (35 years) with many other rewards as well. I credit this book and its method for providing a great deal of the early impetus to getting me on the road to my success.

This book is an amazing read and practice...! Wow!
Considering the average hypnosis book. Nothing, and I mean nothing is more amazing than the Hypno-Cybernetics system. Sure the method is simple. (Three steps) But in the few days that I've had this book. Wow is just the bottom of the barrel describing Dr. Petrie & Dr. Stone's system of sdubconscious programming. I did the chair and suconscious signal finger raising and subconscious command excercise, (the core of the three steps I was talking about) and the results were just amazing. And on my first day doing it. I recently went on Dr. Petrie's website for his hypnosis institute. Know that this book was written in 1973, you can only wonder what they can do now in one day. I believe and know that their claims are true and real about being able to cure certain phobias and ailments in one day because of the powerfully instant results I had with this book. This review is as for real as "a house on fire". Believe me, when I say that this book is an amazing read and practice -- I mean you read it, you do it, then you experience the incredible results.

Captain Josh. ... Read more

Product Description
Todays managers are increasingly busy and less inclined than ever to cope with difficult theoretical propositions. For this very reason, the managers to whom this book will appear daunting are the ones who have most to gain. This book aims to make their own jobs, and the organizations they work for, more satisfying and humane. There are no apologies for this circular argument. The theory upon which this book is based is a theory on managing complexity — those who make the effort to study it are likely to have a useful and valuable learning experience. Organizational Transformation and Learning is more than theory in isolation. The ideas have been worked out in practice to approach five fundamental issues:

• How can organizations cope with increasing environmental complexity?
• How can they maintain viability and develop further at the same time?
• How can organizational action become more effective?
• How can managers cope with increasing organizational complexity?
• How can their action become more effective?

Customer Reviews (2)

Organizational Transformation and Learning : A Cybernetic Ap
El libro es de requerimiento urgente... Gracias por la ayudan que me puedan ofrecer.

Practical Cybernetic Approach
In this book you can find a practical overview of about cybernetic approach for create learning organizations. Recursive management, complexity and variety built conceptual framework that guide practitioner to explore specific characteristics of relationships in organizations. Ing. Jeimy J. Cano ... Read more

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A theoretical history of anthropomorphism and proportion in modern architecture, this volume brings into focus the discourse around proportion with current problems of post-humanism in architecture alongside the new possibilities made available through digital technologies.

The book examines how the body and its ordering has served as a central site of architectural discourse in recent decades, especially in attempts to reformulate architecture’s relationship to humanism, modernism and technology. Challenging some concepts and categories of architectural history and situates current debates within a broader cultural and technological context, Hight makes complex ideas easily accessible.

Extensively illustrated and written without academic jargon for an informed but non-specialized architectural audience, this book elucidates the often obscure debates of avant-garde architectural discourse and design, while demonstrating how these debates have affected everyday places and concepts of architecture. As a result, it will appeal to professional architects, academics and students, combining as it does an insightful introduction to the fundamental issues of architectural history and theory over the past fifty years with entirely new formulations of what that history is and means.

Customer Reviews (1)

Strong rhetoric meets deep structure
If there was a book to introduce graduate students of architecture, art history and modern humanist theory, this is it. With clear, dictated arguments and strong logical arrangement of sources and topics, it invites the reader to invest in the content. It presumes much, however, about the extent of knowledge concerning semiotics from its readers. It is a sustained argument in several phases--citing Ernst Cassirer, Le Corbusier, Jakob Johann von Uexkull, Siegfried Giedion Joseph Rykwert, Merleau-Ponty and others--and at once maintains a fluidity of discourse and relentless brutality of presentation and refutation. I gave it one star less than perfect because, like all publications from MIT Press and Routeledge it is a very abbreviated account of something that should be longer, often combining words that are difficult in themselves with a syntax that demands their lucidity. I like pentasyllabic words and erstwhile prefixes, but sometimes enough is enough. But it is not as bad as Deleuze and Guattari.

Excellent bibliographic and scholarly references.

Buy it only if seriously interested in the topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Empower Yourself!
A enormously empowering book that guides you in separating 'fact' from 'fiction'. I find myself constantly turning back to it.

The more original a copy of Psycho-Cybernetics you can get your hands on the better! His foundation is now in the hands of other people (some competent, some sell-outs) who have used it mostly for their personal gain.

This book, Think and Grow Rich, and How to Win Friends and Influence People form the most powerful foundation for achieving fulfillment, wealth, and happiness. ... Read more

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"As management theory is critical to understanding decision-making and formal leadership in organizations, comprehension of their creation, structure, and application greatly benefits and furthers the development of management systems.

Cybernetics and Systems Theory in Management: Tools, Views, and Advancements provides new models and insights into how to develop, test, and apply more effective decision-making and ethical practices in an organizational setting. This critical mass of sought after knowledge with expert international contributions presents a cornerstone publication inspiring new directions of research and theory building. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Classic
I used the exercises and scripts back in the 80s to literally transform my life. I went from 180 lbs to 149 in 4 months. I was in the best shape in my life. I went from being an unemployed bank teller to $40K per year computer programming in less than 6 months. I went from ugly duckling to swan in what seemed moments. It truly was miraculous. Sadly, the pretaped cassettes are no longer available anywhere that I can find, but the scripts in the book are available, so you can make your own tapes. If you're open to the power of the mind and willing to change, this book will change you forever...period.

Misses the mark on corporate motivation
While I agree with Mr. Thomas to some extent on what he believes motivates people in an organization, I also believe his theories alone can get you in trouble.

He seems to propose that all it takes to motivate people is to provide them with the necessary knowledge to 'find themselves' and this alone is enough.I disagree.

While his ideas are very necessary ingredients, it is by no means the total solution to the motivation problems faced by managers.People also need to feel valued and monetary rewards do have long term effects if used properly.All the knowledge in the world is not going to keep a person motivated if their salary is below par and they do not feel as though they provide value to the organization.All you are doing is pushing the person to take the knowledge and move on, leaving you to 'motivate' someone else all over again.

I've watched managers take Mr. Thomas' approach in managing an organization and in most cases you can feel the tension when you walk in the door.There is constant bickering, backstabbing and a sincere desire amongst the workforce to find something better.

Although Mr. Thomas provides an interesting view of an also interesting subject, I feel anyone subscribing to his views of how to motivate people are likely not going to get the results they desire.

Life changer
Simply put this book is nothing short of life changing and the ideas contained within will astound you! This book brings true power to affirmations and positive thinking!

If you have ever bought a positive self help book on affirmations or positive thinking this book is a must!

As a race we have been fools to ignore this books advice for so long!

Thank you Paul - you changed my life. Christopher Rees ... Read more

Product Description
In The Allure of Machinic Life, John Johnston examines new forms of nascent life that emerge through technical interactions within human-constructed environments—"machinic life"—in the sciences of cybernetics, artificial life, and artificial intelligence. With the development of such research initiatives as the evolution of digital organisms, computer immune systems, artificial protocells, evolutionary robotics, and swarm systems, Johnston argues, machinic life has achieved a complexity and autonomy worthy of study in its own right.

Drawing on the publications of scientists as well as a range of work in contemporary philosophy and cultural theory, but always with the primary focus on the "objects at hand"—the machines, programs, and processes that constitute machinic life—Johnston shows how they come about, how they operate, and how they are already changing. This understanding is a necessary first step, he further argues, that must precede speculation about the meaning and cultural implications of these new forms of life.

Developing the concept of the "computational assemblage" (a machine and its associated discourse) as a framework to identify both resemblances and differences in form and function, Johnston offers a conceptual history of each of the three sciences. He considers the new theory of machines proposed by cybernetics from several perspectives, including Lacanian psychoanalysis and "machinic philosophy." He examines the history of the new science of artificial life and its relation to theories of evolution, emergence, and complex adaptive systems (as illustrated by a series of experiments carried out on various software platforms). He describes the history of artificial intelligence as a series of unfolding conceptual conflicts—decodings and recodings—leading to a "new AI" that is strongly influenced by artificial life. Finally, in examining the role played by neuroscience in several contemporary research initiatives, he shows how further success in the building of intelligent machines will most likely result from progress in our understanding of how the human brain actually works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

the allure of information science
It feels a little wrong to call this a damn fun read, but I'm an ex-EECS geek and love when people write really good histories of (information) science.The intro and first chapter should be required reading for any course on organized and self-organized information systems.They really nicely frame the development and arguments of cybernetics around its key people (Shannon, Ashby, Walter, von Foerster), key concepts (complexity, automata, logical machines, information), and best of all, key objects (Walter's homeostat, von Foerster's Tortoises).It's just a clear, impressive delivery of a broadening field.

_Allure_ offers some real gems, like when it demonstrates convergences of AI/AL, and humanistic theory.I'd never expected the frightening similarity between Lacan's drawings of psychic processes, and Hopcroft's state/transition diagrams of finite automata, but I love how similarities like that become building blocks for the book's really clear expositions of later AI/AL experiments.The rest of the book feels like it's drawing together all the contemporary events in AI/AL so that it can explain why those developments are important, how they came about, and how they change the way we understand basic ideas like ecology, evolution, the mind.Like I said, damn fun.

Would have been nice to have a collected work cited page, for easy reference. ... Read more