How Machines Think: A Story About Messages, Patterns, and Smart Machines (Little Philosophers)

What if your phone, a thermostat, and a video game all worked the same way underneath?

Axi is back — and this time the big questions are about thinking, messages, and smart machines. In three time-travel adventures, curious kids meet three of history's greatest minds and discover the simple ideas hiding inside everyday technology.

• Alan Turing reveals what a computer really is — something that reads, follows rules, and takes one step at a time.
• Claude Shannon shows that every photo, song, and text message is built from tiny yes-or-no answers called bits.
• Norbert Wiener uncovers the feedback loop — goal, check, fix, repeat — the secret to how machines and people learn.

But the real magic is the method that ties them all together: First Principles Thinking — go back to the beginning, ask "what do we know?", and build up from there. It's the same powerful habit of mind that great scientists, inventors, and problem-solvers use, explained so an 8-year-old can start using it today.
Inside this book:

• A fun, story-driven adventure that turns computer science into something kids can see and feel
• Hands-on "Try This!" activities — play the Human Computer Game, send secret bit-messages, and build feedback loops with a ball and a bucket
• "Talk About It" questions that spark real conversations at the dinner table
• Beautiful full-color illustrations on every spread
• A cumulative Problem Solver's Toolkit that grows across the series

Perfect for curious minds ages 8–12 who love asking how and why — and for parents and teachers who want to build genuine critical-thinking skills, not just screen time.

No computer required. Just curiosity.

Little Philosophers, Book 2 — part of a 4-book series that hands children one timeless method for understanding almost anything. Reads great on its own or after Book 1: How to Ask Big Questions.