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Can we introduce emotion into the computer?
David Gelernter, one of the leading lights in artificial
intelligence today, begins The Muse in the Machine
with this provocative question. In providing an answer,
he not only points to a future revolution in computers but
radically changes our views of the human mind itself.
Although much emphasis is placed on the
role of logic in thinking, Gelernter explains that emotions
are much more important in determining the form and content
of much of our daily thought processes. He shows how emotions
shape our creativity, and the role they play in giving rise
to altered states of consciousness.
Analyzing recent psychological research
and ancient literary texts, Gelernter also makes a provocative
and persuasive case for the similarity in the thinking of
children and that of ancient peoples. Both, he argues, exhibit
thinking patterns that are somewhat dreamlike, that rely
heavily on metaphor and that are not logic bound. This style
of thinking, Gelernter maintains, is much richer and more
valuable than we assume, and he dramatically demonstrates
how it can serve as a powerful guide in creating revolutionary
new artificial intelligence systems. Drawing on his pathbreaking
work as a software developer, Gelernter introduces for the
first time a model of emotion into the computer and explains
the enormous ramifications this model holds for future applications.
Bringing together insights from computer
science, cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, and literary
theory, David Gelernter presents what is sure to be a much
debated view of how humans have thought, how we think today,
and how computers will learn to think in the future.
In the tradition of Penrose's The Emperor's
New Mind and Consciousness Explained by Denett,
The Muse and the Machine will be of interest to all
those seeking a deeper understanding of human cognition.
It will also be indispensable reading for all those concerned
with the future of the computer.
David Gelernter is one of the leading
figures in computer science today. He is associate professor
of computer science at Yale University and creator of the
landmark computer programming language called Linda, which
made it possible to link computers together to work on a
single problem. He has since emerged as one of the seminal
thinkers in the field known as parallel computing.
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