In this narrative tour de force, gifted scientist and author John L. Casti contemplates an imaginary evening of intellectual inquiry—a sort of “My Dinner with” not Andre, but five of the most brilliant thinkers of the twentieth century.Imagine, if you will, one stormy summer evening in 1949, as novelist and scientist C. P. Snow, Britain’s distinguished wartime science advisor and author of<I>The Two Cultures,</I> invites four singular guests to a sumptuous seven-course dinner at his alma mater, Christ’s College, Cambridge, to discuss one of the emerging scientific issues of the day: Can we build a machine that could duplicate human cognitive processes? The distinguished guest list for Snow’s dinner consists of physicist Erwin Schrodinger, inventor of wave mechanics; Ludwig Wittgenstein, the famous twentieth-century philosopher of language, who posited two completely contradictory theories of human thought in his lifetime; population geneticist/science popularizer J.B.S. Haldane; and Alan Turing, the mathematician/codebreaker who formulated the computing scheme that foreshadowed the logical structure of all modern computers. Capturing not only their unique personalities but also their particular stands on this fascinating issue, Casti dramatically shows what each of these great men might have argued about artificial intelligence, had they actually gathered for dinner that midsummer evening.With Snow acting as referee, a lively intellectual debate unfolds. Philosopher Wittgenstein argues that in order to become conscious, a machine would have to have life experiences similar to those of human beings—such as pain, joy, grief, or pleasure. Biologist Haldane offers the idea that mind is a separate entity from matter, so that regardless of how sophisticated the machine, only flesh can bond with that mysterious force called intelligence. Both physicist Schrodinger and,of course, computer pioneer Turing maintain that it is not the substance, but rather the organization of that substance, that makes a mind conscious.With great verve and skill, Casti recreates a unique and thrilling moment of time in the grand history of scientific ideas. Even readers who have already formed an opinion on artificial intelligence will be forced to reopen their minds on the subject upon reading this absorbing narrative. After almost four decades, the solutions to the epic scientific and philosophical problems posed over this meal in C. P. Snow’s old rooms at Christ’s College remains tantalizingly just out of reach, making this adventure into scientific speculation as valid today as it was in 1949.
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Santa Fe Institute mathematician John Casti calls The Cambridge Quintet "scientific fiction," a work whose goal "is to present a lively and comprehensible exposition of the intellectual and emotional uncertainties involved in shaping the future of human knowledge." Casti sets the way-back machine for 1949, and imagines that C.P. Snow (pundit, civil servant, and physicist) hosts a dinner party in his rooms at Cambridge University to discuss the possibility that a machine could be made to think. The guests: philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, mathematician and computer demigod Alan Turing, physicist Erwin Schrödinger, and geneticist J.B.S. Haldane. Not surprisingly, the party comes to no single conclusion, but Casti's format provides a comprehensible, entertaining introduction to an important question, and to the ideas and personalities of some of the 20th century's most influential (and eccentric) thinkers.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Casti calls this book a work of scientific fiction. He has created a narrative in which five scientists?C.P. Snow, J.B.S. Haldane, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Erwin Schrodinger, and Alan Turing?are invited to dinner to discuss whether machines will ever be able to think like human beings. He is well versed in the scientific positions of each of his characters as well as their personal characteristics and blends both together in a work that reads more like fiction than science. And the interaction of the five individuals, pairs of whom actually did know each other, gives the author a wealth of viewpoints to contrast to bring out the strength and weaknesses of their various arguments. But what does this work actually represent, aside from Casti's speculation and philosophical interpretation? He presents his ideas enthusiastically and clearly, but we are left with no more answers than the more recent artificial intelligence (AI) debates produced?which perhaps says more about the lack of progress of AI than about Casti's protagonists. Recommended for general collections.?Hilary Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By A. Jogalekar
Format:Paperback
In this book, John Casti, who in my opinion may well turn out to be one of the foremost science writers of all time, weaves a tale about an extraordinary meeting...that never took place, but could well have. Five outstanding intellectuals-C.P.Snow: Physicist, Erwin Schrodinger: Physicist, J B S Haldane: Biologist, Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosopher and Alan Turing: Mathematician-meet for dinner at Cambridge University's Christ College in Snow's rooms, at his request, for profound discussion about a topic that could change the future of humanity forever. The topic: Artificial Intelligence. Can machines think? During the intense discussion that follows, we get to read about a tour de force presented by Casti, just like it would be, had such a meeting actually taken place. As these great minds argue back and forth about this central question, we are transformed to post war England, and the beginnings of modern day computer science. Almost everything they talk about had, or will have far reaching consequences. Some of the idea Turing talks about, such as algorithms, are so commonplace in the modern world, that we take them absolutely for granted. Other related questions, such as the origin and structure of language and its relation to computational processes, are still profound unsolved questions. Casti makes everything sound extremely realistic, and does a great job at it. His choice of characters for this debate is superb, and one which cannot easily be imagined, but which in hindsight is perfect. His portraying of their personalities is impeccable, and represents the diverse backgrounds which each of them brings to the dinner table. His language is brilliant,and so is the humour.
What about the conclusion? There can be none for such a complex problem. But the knowledge which one gains in such enterprises is priceless. Forget about Bill Gates, George Bush, and Saddam Hussein (although they DO make a difference!). Gentlemen such as these are the real movers and shakers of the world, although few may hear of them ,for they toil as little known geniuses. We should be indebted to writers like John Casti, for telling us their story. Thank you, John!
What about the conclusion? There can be none for such a complex problem. But the knowledge which one gains in such enterprises is priceless. Forget about Bill Gates, George Bush, and Saddam Hussein (although they DO make a difference!). Gentlemen such as these are the real movers and shakers of the world, although few may hear of them ,for they toil as little known geniuses. We should be indebted to writers like John Casti, for telling us their story. Thank you, John!
Format:Paperback
This venture into the murky waters of historical speculation and machine-consciousness debates does tell you a few things if you are unfamiliar with Turing and Wittgenstein (otherwise, don't bother reading it). But while Turing's viewpoint is clearly stated from the start, Wittgenstein's is only done justice at the end. The other three characters in the book could be merged into a single one without any loss, and in general the entire book's message could be condensed in a few pages. Which would be pages worth reading if you like articles in easy-reading popular science magazines (which I have nothing against, and indeed subscribe to).
By Ernst Goetze
Format:Paperback
This quintet is just a five some that has gathered for dinner to explore the question of "Can machines think?" Unfortunately, the tripe that is served is not just dessert. The author regales us with dinner (on a dark and stormy night, really) in the rooms of C.P. Snow in Cambridge, circa 1949, and pretends to peer into the lives, thoughts, and thought processes, of the members of an illustrious "quintet", the diplomat and humanist, C.P. Snow, the geneticist, J.B.S. Haldane, the physicist and philosopher, Erwin Schrödinger, the philosopher and sophist, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and the computer programmer, Alan Turing. The question de jour, "Can machines think?" is barely touched, the history is inaccurate (Oh! where are the editors? Wittgenstein did not serve in WW II.), the repartee is tedious and ridiculous, and the book ends with a feeble chapter, a mere whimper, called Afterwards, on suggested readings since 1960. Truly, not worth an evening, but check it out for yourself. At the library. Perhaps if these books don't sell, people will stop writing them, and begin to do a fair work of their subject? I think that we who are honest readers, have already endured too many "sound bites" on subjects of transcendent interest. Incidently, "H9K" refers to Hal 9000, the fabled computer of a well-known film and book circa 1970. Hal will celebrate his coming of age this year, in the year 2001.
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4.1 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A charming introduction to the philosophy of mind
Casti, a well-known science writer and a member of the Santa Fe Institute, has composed a charming fantasy in which five of the leading minds of the post war era meet over dinner... Read more
Published on Mar 2 2000 by Michael J. Edelman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good summary of AI main debate : can machines think ?
This book will delight those already acquainted with Wittgenstein and Turing's perspectives. Easy to read, written in a very enjoyable style by John Casti (whom "Paradigms... Read more
Published on Aug 25 1999
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