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Alan Turing: Life and Legacy of a Great Thinker
Alan Turing's fundamental contributions to computing led to the development of modern computing technology, and his work continues to inspire researchers in computing science and beyond. This book is the definitive collection of commemorative essays, and the distinguished contributors have expertise in such diverse fields as artificial intelligence, natural computing, mathematics, physics, cryptology, cognitive studies, philosophy and anthropology.
The volume spans the entire rich spectrum of Turing's life, research work and legacy. New light is shed on the future of computing science by visionary Ray Kurzweil. Notable contributions come from the philosopher Daniel Dennett, the Turing biographer Andrew Hodges, and the distinguished logician Martin Davis, who provides a first critical essay on an emerging and controversial field termed hypercomputation. A special feature of the book is the play by Valeria Patera which tackles the scandal surrounding the last apple, and presents as an enigma the life, death and destiny of the man who did so much to decipher the Enigma code during the Second World War.
Other chapters are modern reappraisals of Turing's work on computability, and deal with the major philosophical questions raised by the Turing Test, while the book also contains essays addressing his less well-known ideas on Fibonacci phyllotaxis and connectionism.
The volume spans the entire rich spectrum of Turing's life, research work and legacy. New light is shed on the future of computing science by visionary Ray Kurzweil. Notable contributions come from the philosopher Daniel Dennett, the Turing biographer Andrew Hodges, and the distinguished logician Martin Davis, who provides a first critical essay on an emerging and controversial field termed hypercomputation. A special feature of the book is the play by Valeria Patera which tackles the scandal surrounding the last apple, and presents as an enigma the life, death and destiny of the man who did so much to decipher the Enigma code during the Second World War.
Other chapters are modern reappraisals of Turing's work on computability, and deal with the major philosophical questions raised by the Turing Test, while the book also contains essays addressing his less well-known ideas on Fibonacci phyllotaxis and connectionism.
570 pages, Hardcover
First published March 29, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
June 30, 2021
When I was asked to take part in the century of Alan Turing's life, I did my homework. And I found my committee mates had not. I heard some trash talk by people who were Turing Award winners poo-pooing Turing's accomplishments.
Christof Teuscher was a PhD student at the EPFL (Lausanne, CH) assigned by his PhD advisor to hold a 90th birthday conference, and the proceedings are this Springer volume. It's a mostly nice book. I won't get into details which have not worked out. But the real gem was learning that Christof moved to the USA and was now a prof at Portland State, so I arranged to meet him, and we had a long chat.
The best thing I learned was that Turing had a number of biographers who did not get along. Don't get them in a room at the same time. This did not prepare me for American problems.
This book deserves to be read (by people doing their home work) the next time some bureaucracy of people design to honor Turing on some quaint numbered birth year.
Before Turing was so honored for his 90th, the EPFL honored von Neumann on the occasion of his 100th birthday (2003?) and most people never took the time to do that. I am writing this note 6 days after Turing's birthday and about 3 weeks of his death. Give the Swiss credit for being ahead of the rest of the world in honoring computing pioneers in this way.
No further sense in trash talking colleagues.
Christof Teuscher was a PhD student at the EPFL (Lausanne, CH) assigned by his PhD advisor to hold a 90th birthday conference, and the proceedings are this Springer volume. It's a mostly nice book. I won't get into details which have not worked out. But the real gem was learning that Christof moved to the USA and was now a prof at Portland State, so I arranged to meet him, and we had a long chat.
The best thing I learned was that Turing had a number of biographers who did not get along. Don't get them in a room at the same time. This did not prepare me for American problems.
This book deserves to be read (by people doing their home work) the next time some bureaucracy of people design to honor Turing on some quaint numbered birth year.
Before Turing was so honored for his 90th, the EPFL honored von Neumann on the occasion of his 100th birthday (2003?) and most people never took the time to do that. I am writing this note 6 days after Turing's birthday and about 3 weeks of his death. Give the Swiss credit for being ahead of the rest of the world in honoring computing pioneers in this way.
No further sense in trash talking colleagues.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review