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Title: SOCIETY OF MIND by Marvin Minsky ISBN: 0-671-65713-5 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 15 March, 1988 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.61 (23 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A must-read if you are interested in how the mind works.
Comment: The fundamental assumption underlying the principles in the book is that the mind is a result of many small and independent pieces that act in a predictable way and CANNOT think for themselves - but that the result (the mind) CAN think. Of course, the title 'The Society of the Mind' is not a good fit to the ideas in the book because Society and its parts (individual minds) can BOTH think.
But leaving these kind of simple inconsistencies and incongruencies (I discovered at least a couple after some deep thinking) to the side, this book makes for an absolutely fascinating read if you are interested in the subject of how the mind works. The approach is very unique, and the ideas are thought provoking. There are 270 components in the book grouped into 30 chapters and each component takes up 1-2 pages to explain the idea and some basic logic supporting the idea presented in that component. The book has 339 pages in case you are wondering (including the index).
The format of the book makes it very convenient to pick up the book once in a while and read 5-6 ideas in a 15 minute sitting. Of course, to get the most benefit from the book, you have to read one chapter at a time as each chapter contains ideas that are interconnected. The best approach would be to finish reading the book in 2 or 3 sittings so you can connect all the ideas. The author does warn you at the beginning that there are a lot of cross-connections between the different ideas that you may miss. You have to take this advice into consideration and pay extra attention to connecting the ideas in order to get the real theory that the author is trying to communicate. He never actually explains the theory in a nutshell. He leaves it to the reader to come to some conclusions that hopefully will match the author's theory.
Marvin Minsky cofounded the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT and this book gets accolades from some very well known and popular figures like Douglas Hofstadter, Michael Crichton, and Gene Roddenberry.
The book has numerous thought experiments that are fun to do! There are also references made to the works of some very eminent scientists and thinkers. The best part about the book is the simplicity of Dr. Minsky's theory on how the Mind works. The second best part about the book is the really elegant way he explains his theory.
The first downside to the book - the actual theory is never explained explicitly but contained implicitly in the different ideas presented throughout the book. The second downside to the book - there isn't clear logic backing some of the ideas and you have to take the author's word for it.
My opinion in a nutshell - this is a book definitely worth buying for your personal book collection. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book for several years now and even though I personally disagree with some of the ideas in the book (you may quickly find yourself feeling the same way), I believe that it is a beautiful work. Enjoy reading this book, you won't regret the time or the few dollars spent.
Rating: 4
Summary: Highly original...will make you "think out of the box".
Comment: In this book the author attempts to explain the workings of the human mind as a collection of a large number of autonomous mindless connected agents. The approach is metaphorical/philosophical, and no empirical evidence is given for the ideas expounded. The "society of mind", composed as it is of a collection of simple objects, is purely reductionist in its strategy and philosophy. It is though a highly original and thought provoking introduction to the major questions involving mental states, concept formation in the brain, learning theory, and artificial intelligence. The author gives many interesting examples that entice the reader to "think out of the box".
The book itself is written as though each chapter were itself one of these agents. Typically a chapter poses a question or a particular phenomenon, and the author then addresses how the mind would implement of resolve this question or deal with this phenomenon. Some interesting chapters in the book include:
1. Self-Knowledge is Dangerous: The author argues that mental constraints are needed to prevent the individual from artificially creating emotional states that would prevent deliberate action on our part. An intelligent machine will then need to have such constraints in order to prevent it from repeating endlessly the same activity.
2. Learning from Failure: Minsky argues that confining oneself to positive learning experiences will not be as robust or effective as one that will involve some kind of discomfort or pain. Such discomfort will enable more radical changes in conceptual structure.
3. Power of Negative Thinking: The author argues that an optimistic problem-solving strategy is contingent on the ability to recognize several paths to the solution, with the best path then selected. When such knowledge is not available, a "pessimistic" strategy is more optimal. The solution in this case is one that at first glance seems the worst possible avenue of approach.
4. Emotion: The question is posed as to whether machines can be intelligent without any emotions. The author seems to be arguing, and plausibly I think, that emotions serve as a defense against competing interests when a goal is set. Emotional responses occur when the most important goal(s) are disrupted by other influences. Intelligent machines then will need to have the many complex checks and balances.
5. Must Machines be Logical: It is argued correctly that intelligent machines must employ reasoning tools other then ones that are strictly logical. Logic is strictly a side constraint, a test that prevents invalid conclusions. It cannot by itself lead to genuine knowledge.
6. Mathematics Made Hard: Minsky argues that the strategy behind the construction of mathematical systems, via strict definitions and categorization, results in systems that have very small "meaning" content. More robust systems must be developed and integrated into the educational process and into any design for intelligent machines.
7. Weighing Evidence: There is an interesting example of a collection of four index cards on two of which are connected line patterns, and on the other two disconnected line patterns. When the cards are cut into many pieces, and put into separate piles, then a machine with a feature weighing capability would be unable to distinguish between the piles.
8. The Mind and the World: The author's thinking on the mind-body problem is a very sensible one, namely that "minds are simply what brains do". It matters not, according to the author, what the substance of mind (brain) is, only what it (the agents) do.
A few omissions in the book include the discussion on intelligence: the author never really gives his outlook or "definition" of intelligence, but merely comments on a few other opinions on this concept. If one is to make "intelligent" machines, it is important that intelligence be characterized explicitly so that one will know when and if the goal of artificial intelligence has been reached. The author correctly argues however that expert systems can and have been successfully constructed, and that the most formidable obstacle to constructing an "intelligent" machine is in implementing the ability of humans to exercise "common sense".
Rating: 5
Summary: a modern "The Origin of Species"
Comment: like Darwin's epiphany- Minsky's genius has revealed an idea that once understood- it is almost unquestionable- and makes you shout "Of course! how could I have not seen it!"
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Title: Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter ISBN: 0465026567 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: January, 1999 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence by Ray Kurzweil ISBN: 0140282025 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: March, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Metamagical Themas: Questing for the Essence of Mind and Pattern by Douglas R. Hofstadter ISBN: 0465045669 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: March, 1996 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Fluid Concepts & Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought by Douglas R. Hofstadter ISBN: 0465024750 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: March, 1996 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self & Soul by Douglas R. Hofstadter, Daniel C. Dennett, Doug Hofstadter, Daniel C. Dennett ISBN: 0465030912 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: January, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
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