Customer Reviews

Brains, Machines, and Mathematics

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I had a chat with a cybernetic scientist about how the brain works while rock climbing. I am a neuroscientist. The name of Michael Arbib came up often in our climb that I decided to read his "Brains, Machines and Mathematics" as soon as I'm back to earth. This book is not readily available, hence not publicly viable. Nevertheless, I borrowed it from a public library and kept it for 3 months until I decided to buy it... Every time I go through it I climb a rock. At the end of the book, I found myself back at sea level again, though definitely not at point start. Its impact on me was somewhat less than `The Manifesto' but more challenging than Steven Pinker's `How the Mind Works'. To a scientist, it is enriching in many aspects, inviting to analyze, may occupy one's mind when one is wondering about, fixing a light bulb or jump-starting a car. To a philosopher, it is logically coherent, bringing the masters of rationality across the forbidden gates of biological sciences. To a free thinker, it is crucial to the understanding of modern debates on computer technology, brain sciences and cybernetics.