Darwin Among the Machines: The Evolution of Global Intelligence (Helix Books)

Amazon.com

Here's a mesmerizing account of the evolution of machines and thoughts about machines, woven into a story about the evolution of intelligence. Darwin Among the Machines is not so much about how today's intelligence came to be, but about how it may further develop as humanity and computer grow closer together. George Dyson tells the story largely through stories--both historical and legendary--from the lives of scientists and philosophers who paved the way for today's cybernetics revolution, starting with the 17th-century insights of Thomas Hobbes. This book challenges the assumption that nature and machine are opposing forces. Dyson believes them to be allies.

Book Description

George Dyson grew up at the Institute for Advanced Study, where such scientists as his father, Freeman Dyson, and John von Neumann laid the foundations for the Information Age. From this vantage point, and with an unprecedented cast of characters, Dyson traces the course of the information revolution, illuminating the lives, work and ideas of visionaries who foresaw the development of artificial intelligence, artificial life, and the global mind.

Customer Reviews:

Maybe not scientific, but that's not the point anyway..........2006-07-09

Several have criticized Dyson's philosophical and historical treatise "Darwin Among the Machines" for not articulating exactly how a global intelligence might emerge from today's synthetic biological and computational networks. But as Dyson says in the preface, the past is where we find answers, and the future merely a fog of questions "to which the answers are up to us." In the next 200 pages, Dyson explores the history of an idea: that man will someday create a form of artificial life, with intelligence that may match or exceed our own.

It may astound some readers to know that these ideas date much farther back than Alan Turing's "Turing Test," or Vannevar Bush's influential essay "As We May Think." Consider the following quote from Thomas Hobbes (1651): "Nature is by the Art of man, as in many other things, so in this also imitated, that it can make an Artificial Animal." Or consider this excerpt from Samuel Butler's 1859 essay, which serves as Dyson's main theoretical foundation: "As the vegetable kingdom was slowly developed from the mineral, and as in like manner the animal supervened upon the vegetable, so now in these last few ages an entirely new kindgom has sprung up ... It appears to us that we are ourselves creating our own successors."

Careful to acknowledge his predecessors, Dyson profiles the lives of some of the most prescient Enlightenment- and modern-era thinkers in captivating detail. In so doing, he traces the evolution of the "Artificial Animal" from its earliest incorporeal appearances - as merely an idea - to its current computational incarnation in neural networks. But Dyson doesn't stop there.

In fact, he goes on to argue that the global telecommunications network (primarily the internet) may provide the appropriate architecture for a kind of global, distributed intelligence to evolve. Here Dyson borrows from Leibniz, who noted that the "soul" may be "born when the machine is organized to receive it, as organ-pipes are adjusted to receive the general wind."

To further support this claim, Dyson draws parallels between the development of increasingly efficient machines and the processes of biological evolution. In fact, this is one of the most interesting parts of the book, in part because the language in which Dyson details the principles of evolution might be considered dangerous today, in the midst of the raging Intelligent Design debate. For example, Dyson suggests that evolution itself may embody a kind of intelligence, though we frequently perceive it as merely a shallow process, highly dependent on chance and randomness.

As Dyson points out, this perception gets to a fundamental semantic confusion surrounding "intelligence," a phenomenon well known to AI researchers in which problems once thought to require intelligence are then seen as trivial after an algorithm is designed to solve them. As Dyson points out, intelligence may simply be a word we use to describe behavior that corresponds to our view of how humans behave. Not believing in "'the existence of an intelligence behind the achievements in biological evolution may prove to be one of the most spectacular examples of the kind of misunderstandings which may arise before two alien forms of intelligence become aware of one another.' Likewise, to conclude from the failure of individual machines to act intelligently that machines are not intelligent may represent a spectacular misunderstanding of the nature of intelligence among machines."

Ultimately, whether you agree with Dyson's perspective is besides the point. This is not a scientific book; many of the ideas are purely philosophical, and the logic used to support Dyson's assertions frequently rests on historical anecdote and analogy. These should not be considered weaknesses, however. The real, lasting value of "Darwin Among the Machines" is Dysons's imaginative and graceful writing, his impeccable historical research, and the conceptual ease with which he integrates ideas from ballistics, biology, hydrodynamics, set theory, Cybernetics, and uncountably more esoteric subjects.

Though I won't dispute that many of these exciting ideas are far-fetched, Dyson has found powerful allies for his assertions, from Hobbes and Leibniz to Goedel and Von Neumann. So if you find yourself believing - or simply wanting to believe - in these groundbreaking ideas, then you're in fine company.

EDVAC, Turing, Von Newmann, IAS........2006-04-20

EDVAC architecture by Von Newmann changed the world. Von Newmann chose to adopt the McCulloh-Pitts symbolism for diagramming logical structures of stored program codes. EDVAC had the ability to modify its own instructions similar too the theoretical Turing machine. EDVAC stored both data and instructions in mercury delay-line memory as binary and as in the Turing Universal Machine, long strings of bits represented numbers to be operated on and sequenced and potential dynamic structures of operations to be performed, such as bit shifting, multiplexing, Boolean logic, memory storage, and accumulation.

Von Newmann's next machine was called the IAS. The initial development of the IAS design was distributed to multiple locations. A central processor operating in parallel on multiple bits of a word of data at a time characterized IAS. ISA had a hierarchical memory range with random access to memory on limited media, and a distinction between software functionality and hardware functionality. "Science, as well as technology, will in the near future and in the far future turn from problems of intensity, substance, and energy to problems of structure, organization, information and control." Von Newmann was persuaded that the high-speed computer would change the nature of mathematical research. The IAS machine contained the world's first fully functional random-access memory, RAM. Disk storage was provide through 40 cylinders arranged in a bank of 20 with 1024 bits per cylinder; additionally, 40 Williams tubes and 2,600 vacuum tubes performed digital processing with a 75% up time. IAS included an arithmetic unit, accumulator, two shift registers, an adder, and a digit resolver. Floating point was considered but not implemented. IAS included 20 basic instructions and 44 order codes.

Human calculators provided the pattern of processing modeled in the computer. Human calculators demonstrated coordinated computing, sequencing, and analytical capability. Human calculators worked in parallel managed and coordinated processes deciphered WWI Germany encryption messages. The brainpower and segmented problem solving 10 X 15 power number combinations.

The human calculator model could be simulated in the Von Newman and Turing machine and the connection machine architectures and software. Neural Nets could be model in the Turing machine.

However, evolution algorithms will not be able too produce a thinking machine. Thinking is limited to the humans and divine beings. Behavior can be represented in Finite automata graphs, AFSMs, and mechanized behavior may appear logical but this does not suggest the machine can cross the sphere into human intelligence. The title of the book directly is a criticism against the evolutionary humanist. Turing grammer suggests discrete processes can be interactive described by a language. Computer automata can not evolve beyond discrete functions and the machine will be confined to the range of mathematical theorem proofs. Mathematical reasons does not encapsulate all human reasoning and such an acceptance of this conclusion would be uncreative, limiting, and lacking in vision of the potential for humans to feel love, joy, and acquire greater intelligence.

Von Newmann saw digital computers as mathematical tools, a general class of automata and did not imply they could think. Von Newman became more interested in the machine reproduction. "Every automa that can produce other automa will only be able to produce less complicated ones." Celluar Automa has yet to produce a computer brain that will function. CA algorithms surprisingly can model many patterns found in nature and physics. However, no CA has produced a grammer or graph that can be reproduced by the machine yielding an intelligence reasoning machine. Von Newmann hoped for CA salvation, "there is, however, a minimal level where this degenerative characteristic ceases to be universal. At this point automata which can reproduce themselves, or even construct higher entities are possible." Von Newmann's inspiration was not CA but VLSI. VLSI were being replicated from computer generated patterns by computer operated tool. FAB in the 20th century continued Von Newmann's aspiration and robotic automated factories suggested to a minimum degree the theory had value. Intelligence move counter to entropy and if one observes a machine producing other machines of higher construct characteristics than one would declare intelligence has been proven. In "Flesh and Machine" the Brooks suggests GA do have the ability to create simple behaviors such as locomotion, tactics, and architectural models but fail too create higher-level concepts. Abstracting and creative thought are outside the realm of the machine. Brooks suggests AI breakthrough is limted by a lack of quality software, missing laws of intelligence, slow machines, and entropy caused by a lack of young Einsteins willing to dedicate their brains to solving the AI problem.

Von Newman in his "Theory of Self replicating Automa" believed automa would grow more complicated from one generation to the next; no device would become the brain; high speed switching was millions of times faster than biological neurons but pales in comparison with the combinatorial ability of a billion neurons; and something as complicated as the brain could not be designed but had to be evolved. The idea that perfection could be reached by random arrangement of neurons seems doomed to fail. Von Newmann suggested growing a matrix of artifical neurons. These neurons should have the tendency towards self-organization among large number of interconnected secondary machines. Incomprehensible complex processes among the secondary machines could be observed by humans have the appearance of comprehensible behavior. Brooks simple behavior modeling through AFSM seems too synchronized within the realm of computer theory. Imitation verses enhancement feels like imitation is more discrete, definable, and programmable. Enhancement seems to be the result of complicated imitation and the AI is the failure to adequately define AFSMs too model observable behavior. AI evolution must be confined to the realm of the Turing machine grammar. To expect a machine to suddenly start thinking and its neurons to behavior like biological counterparts is a myth, a fable to consume brilliant minds into the dream that machines can think.

Not entirely satisfying.......2004-12-10

Though well written and informative, in the end DAM was a less than satisying read. Dyson marshals considerable data (and extensive and informative quotes) from the fields of history (of science and technology), the sciences (principally evolution and CS), and philosophy (as it has, historically, reflected on notions of mind and evolution). As an avid reader of history, with a deep interest in all of these subjects, I found the opening chapters of DAM quite interesting. That said, the history in DAM is not particularly deep. But Dyson writes well, and I appreciate his having shed light on several lesser known (and underappreciated) historical figures along the way.

Where DAM ultimately falters, in my view, is in its shallow futurism. I say "shallow" not because I don't think Dyson is highly imaginative. He is. And his predictions (to the extent he articulates them as such) may well be realized one day. However, though Dyson is skilfull in establishing the historical groundwork for the development of computer and communications technology as they exist today, he is far less skilfull in tracing even a speculative chain of developments from the present state of the art to the global/artificial intelligence he envisions as a possible (perhaps inevitable) future development. In fairness, every futurist has hit and will continue to hit this wall until the future comes knocking. But Dyson purports to do so.

In the final analysis, though Dyson does an admirable (and entertaining) job of accounting for the rise of computers, and the increasing complexity of computer networks, his discussion of artificial intelligence has more the ring of a leap of faith. It's a fascinating idea (though hardly original to Dyson), and certainly a possibility, but one whose potential trajectory (from idea to realization) is barely even attempted in DAM. DAM would have profited from a little more hard science, and a little less soft speculation.

Title sizzles, but book was unappetizing........2003-02-15

I bought this book in the hope of reading some intelligent speculations by the author about evolution, machines, and AI, which is what the title suggested I would find. However, it turned out to be a history of the evolution of computers with old speculations from the computer pioneers concerning the evolution of computers injected along the way. To be fair, the author does have an overarching thesis that he tries to weave into the historical narrative whenever some past speculation seems to lend it some support. It is that the World Wide Web - that well known network of millions of computers - may some day, at a certain critical size and running who knows what software (certainly not the author) will become intelligent in some way (also not specified by the author). Come to think of it, I think the author has used the historical angle of the book - the similar speculations of the computer pioneers of the past - as a device to lend credence to his thesis - a kind of proof by consensus. I remain unconvinced, however. His arguments (where there were any; it was hard to tell his arguments from narrative) were very weak and unconvincing. To his credit, the author did a tremendous job of scholarship for the historical side of the book. However, he left the speculative side undeveloped (at the most weakly developed) and, therefore, the book was unappetizing to me.

Good Historical References.......2001-05-01

Another good read on the origins of modern computer science. Some interesting stories of Babbage, Hollerith and Van Neumann. I particularly enjoyed Babbage's human computers.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Technical Communication, published by Society for Technical Communication on August 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1107 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Darwin Among the Machines: The Evolutions of Global Intelligence. (book reviews)
Author: Richard Mateosian
Publication: Technical Communication (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1998
Publisher: Society for Technical Communication
Volume: v45 Issue: n3 Page: p400(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Darwin Among the Machines: The Evolution of Global Intelligence

Average customer rating:

Darwin Among the Machines: The Evolution of Global Intelligence
George Dyson
Manufacturer: Perseus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000X67XOM

Customer Reviews:

Want a detailed description of a snow-banner? the nut-pine?.......1997-08-01

Or numerous other natural phenomena? Come browse Muir's collection of books. Yes, browse the 1,030 pages which comprise his writings. This book is excellent for the student of nature because his descriptive writing takes you to the high Sierra, the redwood forests, the 1,000 mile trek through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. You are there and you want to be THERE! While much of the description was written over 100 years ago, the magnificence of a Sequoia, the humidity of a Florida swamp and the curiosity of a Douglas squirrel is still REAL today. A true travelogue for nature lovers and mountainmen wannabes alike

Average customer rating:

Great Backpacking Book

Wildflowers of Yosemite
Lynn Wilson , Jim Wilson , and Jeff Nicholas
Manufacturer: Sierra Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Trees | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0939365022
Release Date: 2005-04-15

Product Description

A user friendly guide to the wildflowers of Yosemite and the central Sierra Nevada. Used as a field text by Yosemite personnel and the University of California. More than 200 color photographs identify 224 species. Also includes maps of select wildflower sites and regions.

Customer Reviews:

Great Backpacking Book.......2000-07-25

For the last decade or more, I have lugged one or two flower books along on backpacking trips in the Sierras, slowly learning to identify the gorgeous and the not-so-gorgeous plants that live in the Mountains of Light. I have come to appreciate several qualities in a field guide: clear photographs that capture the essential character of the plant; brief and clear descriptions that give not only common names and clues for identification but also information on the plant's preferred location and season and an interesting fact or two; clear organization to help me locate flowers that are old friends as well as new ones; and, most important, light in weight! This book scores high on all criteria. It's only rival so far is WILDFLOWERS 3: THE SIERRA NEVADA by Elizabeth Horn.

Average customer rating:

Yosemite Dreamin'

Yosemite: Valley of Thunder
Ann Zwinger
Manufacturer: Thunder Bay Press (CA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Pictorial | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1571457887

Customer Reviews:

Yosemite Dreamin'.......2001-07-08

If you've ever been to Yosemite National Park or are thinking about going, this book will appeal to you. It was given to me as a gift when I moved from the Yosemite area. Now, all I have to do is open one page to be transported back to the "Valley of Thunder".

I chose the title of this book review for my website long before I knew how poignant the words would be. Even though I'm enjoying my new geographical location, the book helps to fill those moments of nostalgia.

Ann Zwinger's well-written text is evocative of my every Yosemite memory and Kathleen Norris Cook's breathtaking photography truly does justice to the magnificent scenery to be found in the Park.

Book Description

Yosemite: The Cycle of the Seasons is a magnificent collection of photographs which celebrate the beauty of this majestic landscape. Each of the four seasonal portfolios present the Park in all its glory; from the world famous landmarks to the subtlety of intimate details. In addition to the work of many of America's finest landscape photographers it also provides the reader with evocative poetic texts which accompany the seasonal portfolios and an excellent essay which will provide the reader with an overview of the Park's natural history. This newly revised edition of Yosemite: The Cycle of Seasons is part of Sierra Press' award winning Wish You Were Here Book Series. Each title in this series provides enticing suggestions of what first-time visitors may expect to experience and vivid memories to those who have already visited the Park.

Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend from California's Yosemite Valley

Average customer rating:

No big deal
A great California Indian tale

Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend from California's Yosemite Valley
Robert D. San Souci
Manufacturer: Yosemite Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0939666871

Customer Reviews:

No big deal.......2007-02-10

The illustrations are the best part of this book, and one (at least) has been made into a beautiful poster for Yosemite Park. But the supposed Indian legend lacked for me the charm of a mythical tale told well. The child in me was not fascinated by the story. I bought it because someone gave me the poster, which I framed; I like the poster better than the book.

A great California Indian tale.......2000-12-13

As a fourth grade teacher in California, I have the pleasure of teaching California history. This book is a great retelling of an old Miwok Indian legend set in Yosemite Valley. Locals, Robert and Daniel San Souci write and illustrate a fun story that tells of the formation of El Capitan in Yosemite. It also teaches that each individual, regardless of size can make a difference. At the end of the book is information on the Miwok tribe and a helpful list of related readings and web sites. The students love the book and it is a fun way to present a California tribe's legend.

Average customer rating:

Yosemite in Photographs
David M. Wyman
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Travel | Bargain Books | Stores | Books

Photography | Arts & Photography | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0517227088
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Average customer rating:

A must read, however...
Wonderful!

The Yosemite
John Muir
Manufacturer: Sierra Club Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Travel with Pets | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0871567822

Book Description

In The Yosemite John Muir recounts his adventures during the years he sojourned amid the Yosemite Valley's spectacular scenery. Muir eloquently portrays the valley he called his "marvelous wonderland," providing detailed descriptions of its natural features--from tiny birds and wildflowers to fierce storms and floods and even an earthquake he experienced. Combining rare literary skills with a passion for discovery, Muir captures moments of breathtaking adventure: peering over the dizzying brink of Yosemite Falls; climbing a hundred feet up into a high, hollow ice-cone; and scaling Half Dome while it is covered with a fresh blanket of snow to see his shadow, a half-mile long, clearly outlined on the sea of clouds beneath him.

Download Description

Of all the world's eighty or ninety species of pine trees, the Sugar Pine (Pinus Lambertiana) is king, surpassing all others, not merely in size but in lordly beauty and majesty. In the Yosemite region it grows at an elevation of from 3000 to 7000 feet above the sea and attains most perfect development at a height of about 5000 feet. The largest specimens are commonly about 220 feet high and from six to eight feet in diameter four feet from the ground, though some grand old patriarch may be met here and there that has enjoyed six or eight centuries of storms and attained a thickness of ten or even twelve feet, still sweet and fresh in every fiber.

Customer Reviews:

A must read, however..........2005-11-19

I have not had the pleasure of visiting Yosemite, not yet. Muir wrote this book when he was 73 years old and recollects his experiences over may years in the valley. I found the most interesting sections to be descriptions of personal events - riding an avalanche, passing behind Yosemite Falls, the people he knew during those years. I simply wish more of the book had a similar content, I feel we have only been exposed to the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more he could have offered. I have several of his other books, yet to read, so perhaps they will expand on his personal adventures.

There are lengthy sections on the landscape, flowers, trees and other physical characteristics of the valley. It is these latter sections that drop me to a four star rating. I have a version without any pictures, and I believe that photographs would have done many sections of this book more justice than words. Some information on the trees may be unique and interesting, but I found myself skimming over several sections due to a lingering over latin names and taxonomy.

This book should simply not be missed by those with a love for the outdoors, but keep in mind there may be some sections lacking the personal touch I was expecting for the whole book.

Wonderful!.......1999-09-23

A great book and a wonderful gift for anyone who loves Yosemite. Rowell's photographs are wonderful, and are set to John Muir's observations and memories of the Valley.

Who Pooped in the Park? Yosemite National Park

Average customer rating:

Who Pooped in the Park? Yosemite National Park
Gary D. Robson
Manufacturer: Farcountry Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend from California's Yosemite Valley

ASIN: 1560373180

Book Description

This charming tale of Michael, Emily, and their parents as they explore each national park and discover scat and tracks is designed to both entertain and educate. Wildlife can be elusive, and both kids are disappointed when, at first, they don't encounter many animals in the park. The kids quickly learn, however, that there are animals all around, and these creatures leave behind scat and tracks. Before long, the kids are able to identify animal tracks and determine what a creature has eaten recently. Colorful illustrations of animals and their scat and tracks supplement this lively tale, and a quick-reference chart at the back will make field identification a breeze!

The Tree of Time: A Story of a Special Sequoia

Average customer rating:

Wonderful story!!
One interpretation of the life of a tree
A Wonderful Book About the Giant Sequoia

The Tree of Time: A Story of a Special Sequoia
Kathy Baron
Manufacturer: Yosemite Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development

ASIN: 0939666731

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful story!!.......2007-08-24

After visiting this area in San Francisco, I just had to get this book! It's a wonderful primary-level story for my first graders (read-aloud).

One interpretation of the life of a tree.......2006-03-07

This book does a decent job showing how a giant sequoia grew for more than 2,000 years only to have a large tunnel carved out of the base for joy rides, causing it to topple over and die. But the book's take on history has a Christian bent, telling us how old the tree was when Jesus was born, when the Christians were being persecuted by the Romans, and when the Christian Crusades were being carried out - a focus you might want to take into consideration if you are looking for educational books about nature.

A Wonderful Book About the Giant Sequoia.......2001-07-10

This is a Wonderful book about a giant Sequoia Tree in California. The book is beautifully illustrated and tells of the beginning of life from a small seed, to the over 2000 years of life the giant tree must endure. From a small seed taking life, a "Time Line of World History" is also displayed along the bottom of each page. We found this book originally in a bookstore at the Sequoia National Park Visitors in California. Although this book is intented for younger children, it has an underlying message for adults. My children, and my family enjoy reading this short story over and over again.

I'm Just a Seasonal: The Life of a Seasonal Ranger in Yosemite National Park

Average customer rating:

I'm Just a Seasonal: The Life of a Seasonal Ranger in Yosemite National Park
Thomas A. Smith
Manufacturer: Productivity Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0972911944

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books