The emperor's new mind : concerning computers, minds, and the laws of physics / Roger Penrose ; foreword by Martin Gardner.
Advances the theory that despite burgeoning computer technologies, there will remain facets of human thinking that cannot be emulated by a machine.
"In this absorbing and frequently contentious book, Roger Penrose -- eminent physicist and winner, with Stephen Hawking, of the prestigious Wolf prize -- puts forward his view that there are some facets of human thinking that can never be emulated by a machine. Although the book ranges widely over relativity theory, quantum mechanics and cosmology, its central concern is what philosophers call the "mind-body problem." Penrose examines what physics and mathematics can tell us about how the mind works, what they can't, and what we need to know to understand the physical processes of consciousness. In particular, he argues that there is an important gap in our knowledge at the place where classical and quantum physics meet. He is among a growing number of physicists who think Einstein wasn't being stubborn when he said his "little finger" told him that quantum mechanics is incomplete, and he concludes that laws even deeper than quantum mechanics are essential for the operation of a mind. To support this contention, Penrose takes the reader on a dazzling tour that covers such topics as complex numbers, Turing machines, complexity theory, quantum mechanics, formal systems, Godel undecidability, phase spaces, Hilbert spaces, black holes, white holes, Hawking radiation, entropy, quasicrystals, the structure of the brain, and scores of other subjects. Penrose's illuminating (and sometimes amusing) drawings highlight his discussions throughout. As Martin Gardner states in his foreword to the book, "Penrose's achievement in mathematics and physics spring from a lifelong sense of wonder toward the mystery and beauty of being. His little finger tells him that the human mind is more than just a collection of tiny wires and switches." The Emperor's New Mind will appeal to anyone with a serious interest in modern physics and its relation to philosophical issues, as well as to physicists, mathematicians, philosophers and those on either side of the AI debate"--Publisher's description.
Item details
- ISBN: 0198519737
- ISBN: 9780198519737
- ISBN: 0099771705
- ISBN: 9780099771708
- Physical Description: xiii, 466 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Publisher: Oxford ; Oxford University Press, 1989.
Contents / Notes
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 452-460) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Can a computer have a mind? -- Algorithms and turing machines -- Mathematics and reality -- Truth, proof, and insight -- The classical world -- Quantum magic and quantum mystery -- Cosmology and the arrow of time -- In search of quantum gravity -- Real brains and model brains -- Where lies the physics of mind? |
Awards Note: | Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, 1990. |
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Genre: | Popular works. |
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Library System: Library Branch Name
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Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clayton County Library System: Riverdale Branch |
006.3 PENROSE, ROGER (
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31012902333044 | STACKS | Checked out | |
Middle Georgia Regional Library: Washington Memorial Library |
006.3 PENROSE R (
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31033002330284 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | |
Ocmulgee Regional Library System: Ocmulgee Regional Library Headquarters |
ANF 006.3 P (
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31039000480252 | NONFIC | Available | |
Ohoopee Regional Library System: Glennville / Tattnall County Library |
006.3 PEN (
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31041000500113 | NONFIC | Available | |
Satilla Regional Library: Douglas-Coffee County Library |
006.3 PENROSE (
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31048000652968 | ADULT | Available |
Electronic resources
- Version of Resource: http://www.gbv.de/dms/bowker/toc/9780198519737.pdf
- Table of contents
- Related Resource: http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0725/89008548-b.html
- Contributor biographical information
- Related Resource: http://www.zentralblatt-math.org/zmath/en/search/?an=0795.00009
- Inhaltstext
- Related Resource: http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0639/89008548-d.html
- Publisher description
- Related Resource: http://library.ccsu.edu/help/spcoll/oconnell/Emperors%20New%20Mind.pdf
- O'Connell Notes (PDF)
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- Entire Brian O'Connell Collection