The Digital Mind
eBook - ePub

The Digital Mind

How Science Is Redefining Humanity

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Digital Mind

How Science Is Redefining Humanity

About this book

What do computers, cells, and brains have in common? Computers are electronic devices designed by humans; cells are biological entities crafted by evolution; brains are the containers and creators of our minds. But all are, in one way or another, information-processing devices. The power of the human brain is, so far, unequaled by any existing machine or known living being. Over eons of evolution, the brain has enabled us to develop tools and technology to make our lives easier. Our brains have even allowed us to develop computers that are almost as powerful as the human brain itself. In this book, Arlindo Oliveira describes how advances in science and technology could enable us to create digital minds.

Exponential growth is a pattern built deep into the scheme of life, but technological change now promises to outstrip even evolutionary change. Oliveira describes technological and scientific advances that range from the discovery of laws that control the behavior of the electromagnetic fields to the development of computers. He calls natural selection the ultimate algorithm, discusses genetics and the evolution of the central nervous system, and describes the role that computer imaging has played in understanding and modeling the brain. Having considered the behavior of the unique system that creates a mind, he turns to an unavoidable question: Is the human brain the only system that can host a mind? If digital minds come into existence—and, Oliveira says, it is difficult to argue that they will not—what are the social, legal, and ethical implications? Will digital minds be our partners, or our rivals?

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Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Copyright page
  4. Dedication
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Preface
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. 1 The Red Queen’s Race
  10. 2 The Exponential Nature of Technology
  11. 3 From Maxwell to the Internet
  12. 4 The Universal Machine
  13. 5 The Quest for Intelligent Machines
  14. 6 Cells, Bodies, and Brains
  15. 7 Biology Meets Computation
  16. 8 How the Brain Works
  17. 9 Understanding the Brain
  18. 10 Brains, Minds, and Machines
  19. 11 Challenges and Promises
  20. 12 Speculations
  21. Further Reading
  22. References
  23. Index

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Yes, you can access The Digital Mind by Arlindo Oliveira in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Semantics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.