The Sciences of the Artificial - 3rd Edition (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"People sometimes ask me what they should read to find out about artificial intelligence. Herbert Simon's book The Sciences of the Artificial is always on the list I give them. Every page issues a challenge to conventional thinking, and the layman who digests it well will certainly understand what the field of artificial intelligence hopes to accomplish. I recommend it in the same spirit that I recommend Freud to people who ask about psychoanalysis, or Piaget to those who ask about child psychology: If you want to learn about a subject, start by reading its founding fathers."
—George A. Miller, Complex Information Processing

Product Description

"People sometimes ask me what they should read to find out about artificial intelligence. Herbert Simon's book The Sciences of the Artificial is always on the list I give them. Every page issues a challenge to conventional thinking, and the layman who digests it well will certainly understand what the field of artificial intelligence hopes to accomplish. I recommend it in the same spirit that I recommend Freud to people who ask about psychoanalysis, or Piaget to those who ask about child psychology: If you want to learn about a subject, start by reading its founding fathers." -- George A. Miller, Complex Information Processing

Continuing his exploration of the organization of complexity and the science of design, this new edition of Herbert Simon's classic work on artificial intelligence adds a chapter that sorts out the current themes and tools -- chaos, adaptive systems, genetic algorithms -- for analyzing complexity and complex systems. There are updates throughout the book as well. These take into account important advances in cognitive psychology and the science of design while confirming and extending the book's basic thesis: that a physical symbol system has the necessary and sufficient means for intelligent action. The chapter "Economic Reality" has also been revised to reflect a change in emphasis in Simon's thinking about the respective roles of organizations and markets in economic systems.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 3 edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262691914
• ISBN-13: 978-0262691918
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly thought provoking and original..., December 30, 2006

By	Blaine Lilly (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is one of the most thought provoking, challenging books I've come across in many years. Simon tosses off ideas like a Border Collie shaking off water. This is not a book to be skimmed, or to be taken lightly, but a slow careful reading will certainly pay off. I read this book for insights into product design, and it did not disappoint.

28 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophical, interdisciplinary perspectives of human being, October 1, 1998

By A Customer

Explores economics, management, computer science, psychology and phylosophy to understand human being and artifacts, the work of human being. Ideas presented are highly philosophical but widely applicable to the real world, especially when designing organization or large projects.

29 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive philosophical view on thinking and computing, December 9, 1999

By	William C. Burkett (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although the language is a little stilted at times and difficult to read, the range and scope - and implications - of Simon's ideas are profound. The relationships he describes between thinking, computing, and human behavior are extremely interesting and provide a "look toward the future". And the fact that Simon has been working and researching in this area for, like, FOREVER (some of the citations of his work is from the 50's) lends a lot of credence to his ideas.