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The Computer and the Brain

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( 821 ratings, 101 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Computer and the Brain, John von Neumann explores the parallels between digital computers and the human brain. He analyses the design, function, and limitations of computers, offering insights into how these artificial systems compare to biological neural processes. The book bridges computing and neuroscience, providing a thought-provoking examination of machine versus human intelligence.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by the parallels between human cognition and computational processes. Written by the renowned mathematician John von Neumann, it explores foundational concepts in computing and offers profound insights into how the brain might operate in ways akin to a computer. Ideal for readers intrigued by the intersection of neuroscience and technology.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Explores the analogies between computing machines and the living human brain. This title shows that the brain operates both digitally and analogically, but also has its own unique statistical language.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In this classic work, one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century explores the analogies between computing machines and the living human brain. John von Neumann, whose many contributions to science, mathematics, and engineering include the basic organisational framework at the heart of today's computers, concludes that the brain operates both digitally and analogically, but also has its own peculiar statistical language.

In his foreword to this new edition, Ray Kurzweil, a futurist famous in part for his own reflections on the relationship between technology and intelligence, places von Neumann’s work in a historical context and shows how it remains relevant today.

Series: The Silliman Memorial Lectures Series

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  • The Computer and the Brain
    In this classic work, one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century explores the analogies between computing machines and the living human brain. John von Neumann, whose many contributions to science, mathematics, and engineering include the basic organisational framework at the heart of today's computers, concludes that the brain operates both digitally and analogically, but also has its own...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The book written by John von Neumann, an early exploration of the brain through a mathematic and computing lens, is praised for bridging the gap between computer science and neuroscience. Reviews commend its profound insights into the human nervous system, highlighting von Neumann's unique approach of considering it as a statistical rather than purely digital machine. The work inspires those in computing by offering foundational perspectives that align with modern computational advancements, such as IBM's Watson.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300181111

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 August 2012

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Edition: 3rd Revised edition

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Ray Kurzweil

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 9.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 127g

Pages: 144

About the Author

At the time of his death in February 1957, John von Neumann, renowned for his theory of games and his work at the Electronic Computer Project at the Institute for Advanced Study, was serving as a member of the Atomic Energy Commission.Β Ray KurzweilΒ is an inventor, author, and futurist who has writtenΒ six books including The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.

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