Turing's Man: Western Culture in the Computer Age - Softcover

Bolter, J. David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807841080 ISBN 13: 9780807841082

Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr, 1984

Synopsis

Trained in both classics and computer science, Bolter considers the cultural impact of computers on our age, comparing the computer to earlier technologies that redefined fundamental notions of time, space, language, memory, and human creativity. Surprisingly, he finds that in many ways the outlook of the computer age bears more resemblance to that of the ancient world than to that of the Enlightenment. The classical philosopher and the computer programmer share share a suspicion of infinity, an acceptance of necessary limitations on human achievement, and a belief that results are more important than motives.

Although Bolter fears that the growing use of computers may well diminish out culture's sense of the historical and intellectual context of human endeavor, he contends that the computer also offers new ways of looking at intellectual freedom, creativity, and the conservation of precious resources.

About this title

Book Description:

"The most illuminating book that has yet come my way on the topic of artificial intelligence. . . . A succinct account of the ways in which modern computers work and of the social implications of their use."--A. J. Ayer, New York Review of Books

About the Author:

J. David Bolter is Wesley Chair of New Media at Georgia Institute of Technology. He is author or coauthor of three other books, including Windows and Mirrors: Interaction Design, Digital Art, and the Myth of Transparency.

About this edition

• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr
• Publication date: 1984
• ISBN 10: 0807841080
• ISBN 13: 9780807841082
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 276