Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design First Printing Edition

by Terry Winograd (Author), Fernando Flores (Author)

16 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0201112979

ISBN-10: 0201112973

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Condition: Used - Good

In Stock. Sold by Shop Svt19, Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

80 Used from $17.83

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Select delivery location

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Only 16 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

This item ships to France. Want it Friday, Aug. 31? Order within and choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

List Price: $49.99
Save: $15.72 (31%)

44 New from $34.27

Select delivery location

Turn on 1-Click ordering

More Buying Choices

44 New from $34.27 80 Used from $17.83

124 used & new from $17.83

See All Buying Options

Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

Frequently bought together

Total price: $96.24

One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design by Terry Winograd Paperback $34.36
Only 16 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping. Details
The Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding by Humberto R. Maturana Paperback $23.96
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Conversations For Action and Collected Essays: Instilling a Culture of Commitment in Working… by Fernando Flores Paperback $37.92
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Humberto R. Maturana

32

Paperback
$23.96
Fernando Flores

25

Paperback
$37.92
Charles Spinosa

11

Paperback
$17.79
Gloria P Flores

16

Paperback
$19.95
Hubert L. Dreyfus

23

Paperback
$36.80
John Ousterhout

6

Paperback
$18.06

Product details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; First Printing edition (January 11, 1987)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0201112973
ISBN-13: 978-0201112979
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 16 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #86 in Books > Textbooks > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence
- #268 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > AI & Machine Learning > Intelligence & Semantics

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

Important information

Ingredients

Example Ingredients

Directions

Example Directions

Customer reviews

2 star (0%)

1 star (0%)

Write a customer review

See all 16 customer reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Chauncey Bell

Not Just Another Pretty Face

July 24, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A few years ago Byte Magazine named this one of the 10 most important books in the history of the computer industry. Flores was asked to keynote the 50th anniversary meeting of the ACM on the strength of the work he has done, some of which is shown here.
I am a little surprised not to find a review here that shows awareness of what this book is and was intended to do -- to turn those concerned with the design of the role of computers in society into a new direction. The book offers a fundamental enrichment and extension to the traditional engineering-based foundations that are used for designing computer systems that is drawn from philosophy and biology. It opens the development of a rigorous new design milleau to the reader. This is NOT yet another multi-disciplinary rumination.
I would say this is not a "helpful" book, and it was never intended as an easy read. It is a book to turn to when one has learned enough about what is really at issue in putting computers to work in human life to discover that the likes of input, process, output, "friendly" interfaces, attractive graphical presentations, and logical flow charts are vastly insufficient distinctions for doing work that really makes a contribution to your clients and colleagues. The book challenges the reader strongly, and is not simple to read. I guess that the best way to read it is with someone else, having discussions as you go along.
This is a book to engage and grow with -- a must-read for those serious about designing and building systems that will affect the lives of those who engage with them.

65 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Maine Reader

A Dense Read but Worth it!

August 5, 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is probably the 7th or 8th copy of this book, I've purchased. My original? I have no idea where it is. But it is such an important book that I keep buying them and giving them away. I'm not a computer geek by any measure so what I find useful to share with my non-technical friends are the constructs provided on conversational technology that are at the foundation of this book. I'm an executive coach and have had the pleasure of working with Fernando Flores. I cannot overstate how important his contribution is to moving people and organizations forward in producing the results they want. It is well worth the time and energy and thinking you spend.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Arnold Doray

Penetrating critique of modern AI

August 23, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The authors deftly synthesize ideas from Martin Heidegger and the Chilean biologist Herberto Maturana to help us understand why we have less to fear of an "AI Singularity" if research on the subject of cognition remains on its present track.

Pros:
* This book is a penetrating critique of modern approaches to understanding and modeling human cognition and language, objections which are still hardly addressed in present day mainstream research.
* Interestingly, this book is in many ways a detailed repudiation of Winograd's own SHRDLU, a program whose capability in the '70s exceeds that of even present day commercial "AI"-like efforts.

Cons:
* The attitude of the authors strikes me as being somewhat defeatist. Their thesis is to sidestep the (very valid) issues raised by Heidegger and Maturana, by reframing the role of computers in society. Their reframing certainly works -- we have ample proof of this in modern computing. However, they do not outline a plan for a better approach to understanding and modeling cognition.
* The latter 1/3 portion of the book contains dated material outlining the authors' ideas on the "future" (ie, post late-1980's) on how technology can be used in society. Many of these ideas may seem obvious to modern readers.

Despite being first published in 1986, much of the content of this book remains relevant. It provides some answers to the thought-provoking question of why even in our modern times computers have never been thinking.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Brady Uselman

Wonderful Read, way ahead of its time

March 10, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

In completely enjoyed this book. For starters it takes a lot of Heidegger's work and makes it completely accessible. The book laid out well where AI can and cannot go based on these Heidegarian (sp?) principals. My experience of the book is that it provide practical application for normally difficult content. I referenced this book in one of my blogs:[...]

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

David Blood-Deschamps

I read this many years ago, and wanted to see if I still appreciated it.

August 31, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

What an interesting book! My memory of it from decades ago was dim, but I knew I was impressed with it, so I bought it again. I have now re-read about a third of it, and am finding it as interesting and rewarding as I had remembered. It gives a deep and fairly erudite dig into a philosophical view of design in general, and into of the use of computer software specifically. It is worth the read just to experience this kind of creative, assumption-questioning discourse. You might never think of your computer the same way again.

Comment

May 20, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Reading this book is not an easy task, you almost have to read every page several times to understand the true meaning which eventually comes to surface when one realizes that by trying to understand computers and artificial Intelligence you have to make a self examination of what it means to be human from the design thinking point of view.

Comment

September 18, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very insightful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Most recent customer reviews

marco

Five Stars

Great Book, it elaborates a deep background and tools for coordinating actions

Published on August 9, 2016

Joe Reisinger

BEWARE: This 5 Star rating is NOT for ease of reading, instead its Solely for content!!!!!!!!!!!

As a successful trial lawyer (mainly defending people who have caused injury to others and were fortunate enough to have insurance to cover their "defense"), I suffered...Read more

Published on July 9, 2014

Daniel Toohey

The most important design book ever ! Challenges our 'naive realism'.

Imagine designing software for how people and computers really interact - not how we rationally think we should act.Read more

Published on October 4, 2012

Art M.

A Life-Changing Read

I read this book when it was first published in the mid 1980's. At the time I was studying artificial intelligence as part of a graduate program in computer science.Read more

Published on August 24, 2009

Ariela Avni

Thoughtful and Brilliant

Understanding Computers and Cognition is an excellent book giving the right background and walks you nicely to understand all the notion of Speech act, Intention driven...Read more

Published on April 9, 2008

Arun Kumar Tripathi

What are We to Make of Computers, and Computers Make of Us

Winograd and Flores' `Understanding Computers and Cognition' proposes that the rationalist tradition in AI must be replaced by a hermeneutic approach.Read more

Published on April 20, 2002

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Humberto R. Maturana

32

Paperback
$23.96
Fernando Flores

25

Paperback
$37.92
Charles Spinosa

11

Paperback
$17.79
Gloria P Flores

16

Paperback
$19.95
Francisco J. Varela

3

Paperback
$28.26
Robert C. Solomon

30

Paperback
$14.92

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: understanding textbook

Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design First Printing Edition

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Important information

Ingredients

Directions

Customer reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design First Printing Edition

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $17.83 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $34.27 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Important information

Ingredients

Directions

Customer reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$17.83 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$34.27 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open