Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About

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June 17, 2022 | History

Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About

  • 17 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading
  • 1 Have read

In the fall of 1999, computer scientist Donald E. Knuth was invited to give six public lectures at MIT on the general subject of relations between faith and science. The lectures were broadcast live on the Internet and watched regularly by tens of thousands of people around the world, and they have remained popular many months after the event. This book contains transcripts of those lectures, edited and annotated by the author. After an introductory first lecture, the second one focusses on the interaction of randomization and religion, since randomization has become a key area of scientific interest during the past few decades. The third lecture considers questions of language translation, with many examples drawn from the author's experiments in which random verses of the Bible were analyzed in depth. The fourth lecture deals with art and aesthetics; it illustrates several ways in which beautiful presentations can greatly deepen our perception of difficult concepts. The fifth lecture discusses what the author learned from the "3:16 project," a personal exploration of Biblical literature which he regards as a turning point in his own life. The sixth and final lecture, "God and Computer Science," is largely independent of the other five. It deals with several new perspectives by which concepts of computer science help to shed light on many ancient and difficult questions previously addressed by scientists in other fields. A significant part of each lecture is devoted to spontaneous questions from the audience and the speaker's impromptu responses, transcribed from videotapes of the original sessions. The book concludes with a transcript of a panel discussion in which Knuth joins several other prominent computer specialists to discuss "Creativity, Spirituality, and Computer Science." The other panelists are Guy L. Steele Jr. of Sun Microsystems, Manuela Veloso of Carnegie Mellon University, and Mitch Kapor of Lotus Development Corporation, together with moderator Harry Lewis (Dean of Harvard College). The book includes over 100 illustrations and photographs. The author has contributed additional notes and a comprehensive index. - Publisher.

Publish Date
Publisher
CSLI Publications
Language
English
Pages
257

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About (Center for the Study of Language and Information - Lecture Notes)
Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About (Center for the Study of Language and Information - Lecture Notes)
August 1, 2003, Center for the Study of Language and Information
Paperback in English - New Ed edition
Cover of: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About
Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About
July 1, 2001, CSLI Publications
Hardcover in English

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Book Details


Table of Contents

Foreword : Meeting God at MIT / Anne Foerst
Lecture 1 : Introduction.
Why I am unqualified to give these lectures
Why the lectures might be interesting anyway
The 3:16 project, a turning point in my life
Lecture 2 : Randomization and Religion.
The advantages of unbiased sampling as a way to gain insight into a complicated subject
Dangers to avoid when using this approach
Lecture 3 : Language translation.
How to translate Bible verses without knowing Hebrew or Greek
The surprising rewards of such attempts, even though the task is difficult or impossible
Lecture 4 : Aesthetics.
Scientific work as an artistic endeavor
The deep influence that beautiful presentation can have on our understanding of texts
Illustrations by many of the world's greatest masters of calligraphy
Lecture 5 : Glimpses of God.
What I think I learned about God from the 3:16 project
What I think I learned about theology from the 3:16 project
The difference between the two
Lecture 6 : God and Computer Science.
Computer programmers as creators of new universes
Computational complexity as a way to approach the questions of free will and omnipotence
Other concepts of computer science that may give insights about divinity
Panel : Creativity, spirituality, and Computer Science

Edition Notes

Published in
Stanford, CA
Series
CSLI lecture notes ; no. 136
Copyright Date
2001

Classifications

Library of Congress
BL240.2 .K59 2001, BL240.2.K59 2001

The Physical Object

Format
Hardcover
Pagination
xi, 257 p.
Number of pages
257
Dimensions
9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
Weight
1.3 pounds

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL8746407M
Internet Archive
thingscomputersc0000knut
ISBN 10
1575863278
ISBN 13
9781575863276
LCCN
2001025685
Library Thing
13012
Goodreads
2699664

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June 17, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
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