Author: Chris Bernhardt File Type: pdf In 1936, when he was just twenty-four years old, Alan Turing wrote a remarkable paper in which he outlined the theory of computation, laying out the ideas that underlie all modern computers. This groundbreaking and powerful theory now forms the basis of computer science. In Turings Vision, Chris Bernhardt explains the theory, Turings most important contribution, for the general reader. Bernhardt argues that the strength of Turings theory is its simplicity, and that, explained in a straightforward manner, it is eminently understandable by the nonspecialist. As Marvin Minsky writes, The sheer simplicity of the theorys foundation and extraordinary short path from this foundation to its logical and surprising conclusions give the theory a mathematical beauty that alone guarantees it a permanent place in computer theory. Bernhardt begins with the foundation and systematically builds to the surprising conclusions. He also views Turings theory in the context of mathematical history, other views of computation (including those of Alonzo Church), Turings later work, and the birth of the modern computer. In the paper, On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem, Turing thinks carefully about how humans perform computation, breaking it down into a sequence of steps, and then constructs theoretical machines capable of performing each step. Turing wanted to show that there were problems that were beyond any computers ability to solve in particular, he wanted to find a decision problem that he could prove was undecidable. To explain Turings ideas, Bernhardt examines three well-known decision problems to explore the concept of undecidability investigates theoretical computing machines, including Turing machines explains universal machines and proves that certain problems are undecidable, including Turings problem concerning computable numbers. **Review A fascinating account of Alan Turings epic research paper, which kicked off the entire computer revolution. Im particularly impressed by the amount of detail the author includes while keeping everything simple, transparent, and a pleasure to read. (Ian Stewart, author of In Pursuit of the Unknown 17 Equations That Changed the World) This is a delightful introduction for the lay reader to the ideas surrounding Alan Turings great paper of 1936. (Scott Aaronson, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT) Over the past several decades, Alan Turing, known as the father of computer science, has become an intellectual and cultural icon. Chris Bernhardt has written a very clear and accessible book that explains Turings work, showing how his ideas have developed into some of the most important ideas in computer science today. (Noson S. Yanofsky, author of The Outer Limits of Reason What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us) The dazzling array of computer applications, from desktop to cell phone, has obscured the play of ideas that first set our modern era in motion. In this account, Bernhardt reveals the crucial contribution to these developments made by Alan Turing and other early computer scientists. A marvelous book. (A. K. Dewdney, Professor Emeritus, Department of Computer Science, University of Western Ontario) About the Author Chris Bernhardt is Professor of Mathematics at Fairfield University. In 1936, when he was just twenty-four years old, Alan Turing wrote a remarkable paper in which he outlined the theory of computation, laying out the ideas that underlie all modern computers. This groundbreaking and powerful theory now forms the basis of computer science. In Turings Vision, Chris Bernhardt explains the theory, Turings most important contribution, for the general reader. Bernhardt argues that the strength of Turings theory is its simplicity, and that, explained in a straightforward manner, it is eminently understandable by the nonspecialist. As Marvin Minsky writes, The sheer simplicity of the theorys foundation and extraordinary short path from this foundation to its logical and surprising conclusions give the theory a mathematical beauty that alone guarantees it a permanent place in computer theory. Bernhardt begins with the foundation and systematically builds to the surprising conclusions. He also views Turings theory in the context of mathematical history, other views of computation (including those of Alonzo Church), Turings later work, and the birth of the modern computer.In the paper, On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem, Turing thinks carefully about how humans perform computation, breaking it down into a sequence of steps, and then constructs theoretical machines capable of performing each step. Turing wanted to show that there were problems that were beyond any computers ability to solve in particular, he wanted to find a decision problem that he could prove was undecidable. To explain Turings ideas, Bernhardt examines three well-known decision problems to explore the concept of undecidability investigates theoretical computing machines, including Turing machines explains universal machines and proves that certain problems are undecidable, including Turings problem concerning computable numbers. **

Author: Jason Brennan File Type: pdf Academics extol high-minded ideals, such as serving the common good and promoting social justice. Universities aim to be centers of learning that find the best and brightest students, treat them fairly, and equip them with the knowledge they need to lead better lives. But as Jason Brennan and Phillip Magness show in Cracks in the Ivory Tower , American universities fall far short of this ideal. At almost every level, they find that students, professors, and administrators are guided by self- interest rather than ethical concerns. College bureaucratic structures also often incentivize and reward bad behavior, while disincentivizing and even punishing good behavior. Most students, faculty, and administrators are out to serve themselves and pass their costs onto others. The problems are deep and pervasive most academic marketing and advertising is semi-fraudulent. To justify their own pay raises and higher budgets, administrators hire expensive and unnecessary staff. Faculty exploit students for tuition dollars through gen-ed requirements. Students hardly learn anything and cheating is pervasive. At every level, academics disguise their pursuit of self-interest with high-faluting moral language. Marshaling an array of data, Brennan and Magness expose many of the ethical failings of academia and in turn reshape our understanding of how such high power institutions run their business. Everyone knows academia is dysfunctional. Brennan and Magness show the problems are worse than anyone realized. Academics have only themselves to blame. __About the Author Jason Brennan is the Flanagan Family Professor at Georgetown University. He is the author of ten books, including When All Else Fails and In Defense of Openness. Phillip W. Magness is a Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He is the author of two books and over a dozen scholarly articles on a diverse array of topics, including the economics of slavery, the history of international trade, federal tax policy, economic inequality, and the economic dimensions of higher education.

Author: Devoney Looser File Type: pdf Just how did Jane Austen become the celebrity author and the inspiration for generations of loyal fans she is today? Devoney Loosers The Making of Jane Austen turns to the people, performances, activism, and images that fostered Austens early fame, laying the groundwork for the beloved author we think we know. Here are the Austen influencers, including her first English illustrator, the eccentric Ferdinand Pickering, whose sensational gothic images may be better understood through his brushes with bullying, bigamy, and an attempted matricide. The daring director-actress Rosina Filippi shaped Austens reputation with her pioneering dramatizations, leading thousands of young women to ventriloquize Elizabeth Bennets audacious lines before drawing room audiences. Even the supposedly staid history of Austen scholarship has its bizarre stories. The author of the first Jane Austen dissertation, student George Pellew, tragically died young, but he was believed by many, including his professor-mentor, to have come back from the dead. Looser shows how these figures and their Austen-inspired work transformed Austens reputation, just as she profoundly shaped theirs. Through them, Looser describes the factors and influences that radically altered Austens evolving image. Drawing from unexplored material, Looser examines how echoes of that work reverberate in our explanations of Austens literary and cultural power. Whether youre a devoted Janeite or simply Jane-curious, The Making of Jane Austen will have you thinking about how a literary icon is made, transformed, and handed down from generation to generation. **

Author: Hans Renders File Type: pdf The Biographical Turn showcases the latest research through which the field of biography is being explored. Fifteen leading scholars in the field present the biographical perspective as a scholarly research methodology, investigating the consequences of this bottom-up approach and illuminating its value for different disciplines. While biography has been on the rise in academia since the 1980s, this volume highlights the theoretical implications of the biographical turn that is changing the humanities. Chapters cover subjects such as gender, religion, race, new media and microhistory, presenting biography as as a research methodology suited not only for historians but also for explorations in areas including literature studies, sociology, economics and politics. By emphasizing agency, the use of primary sources and the critical analysis of context and historiography, this book demonstrates how biography can function as a scholarly methodology for a wide range of topics and fields of research. International in scope, The Biographical Turn emphasizes that the individual can have a lasting impact on the past and that lives that are now forgotten can be as important for the historical narrative as the biographies of kings and presidents. It is a valuable resource for all students of biography, history and historical theory. **Review This book provides compelling evidence of the lively current state of biographical studies and its power to raise new questions about the nature and course of historical change by focusing on the relationship between individual determination, creativity, or enterprise and larger social, economic, and political forces. Lee V. Chambers, University of Colorado Boulder, USA About the Author Hans Renders is Professor of History and the Director of the Institute of Biography at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. His publications include Theoretical Discussions of Biography Approaches from History, Microhistory, and Life Writing (2014). He is the cofounder of Biographers International Organization (BIO), the Vice-President of the Biography SocietyLa Societe de Biographie and a jury member for the Plutarch Award for best American biography. Binne de Haan is a research staff member of the Biography Institute at the University of Groningen. His publications include Theoretical Discussions of Biography Approaches from History, Microhistory, and Life Writing (2014), and an English translation of his PhD thesis Van Kroon tot Bastaard (From Prince to Pauper Biography and the Individual Perspective in Historiography) is forthcoming. Jonne Harmsma is a PhD researcher in the Biography Institute at the University of Groningen and is working on a biography of the Dutch Prime Minister and Central Bank President Jelle Zijlstra.