Digital Soul[PDF] [StormRG]

Digital Soul
Author:Georges, Thomas M
Publisher and Published Date:Basic Books (Oct. 13 2004)
ISBN-10:0813340578
ISBN-13:9780813340579
Format: Retail PDF
Reader Required: Adobe Acrobat


Don't hesitate to PM me if you have any questions or problem with the download, as comments on the torrent are easy to miss. Please allow a couple
seconds for the seedboxes to kick in, then it should move pretty quick.
Hope it helps in your studies. Go for it! :D
It should also be noted that any reference to any dvd, cd, or any other dlc or extra content in this, or any other torrent I upload, is not available in the torrent unless I state otherwise. If you want the extras, buy the product
This PDF is encrypted! This encryption will NOT interfere with opening, printing, or copying the PDF. It will only prevent editing of the PDF. I have my reasons for it. If you have questions pm me through my acct on KAT
If you do have difficulties opening this file while running a Linux OS, try opening in windows or mac using Adobe Acrobat. If you still can't open, pm me and I'll investigate.






Should the day come when intelligent machines not only make computations but also think and experience emotions as humans do, how will we distinguish the “human” from the “machine”? This introduction to artificial intelligence – and to its potentially profound social, moral, and ethical implications – is designed for readers with little or no technical background. In accessible, focused, engaging discussions, physicist and award-winning science writer Thomas Georges explores the fundamental issues: What is consciousness? Can computers be conscious? If machines could think and even feel, would they then be entitled to “human” rights? Will machines and people merge into a biomechanical race? Should we worry that super-intelligent machines might take over the world? Even now we continue to put increasingly sophisticated machines in control of critical aspects of our lives in ways that may hold unforeseen consequences for the human race. Digital Soul challenges all of us, before it’s too late, to think carefully and rationally about the kind of world we will want to live in – with intelligent machines ever closer by our sides.

From Publishers Weekly
Can computers think? What does that question mean? What might the answer portend for human values? Georges treats these questions-long mainstays of discussions among mathematicians, computer scientists, cognitive psychologists, ethicists, science fiction writers and philosophers-thoroughly, if derivatively, using illustrations from Star Trek and other popular science fiction books, television shows and movies. The first half of the book examines the idea of machine intelligence, then moves on to consciousness, emotions, neurosis and moral awareness. The conversation draws heavily on popular accounts by computer pioneers Marvin Minsky and Alan Turing, mathematician Roger Penrose and cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter. The second half of the book explores the social implications of computer intelligence, including whether machines will take over the world. Georges, a former research scientist at the National Bureau of Standards and the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, bases this part on popular works by astronomer Carl Sagan and biologist Richard Dawkins, and several magazine articles. Essentially a summary of generally believed notions regarding the power of machines, illustrated with pop culture references, the book's strength lies in its blend of comprehensive coverage with straightforward prose.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Don't look now, but the computer across the desk may be plotting against its human creators. An accomplished physicist and science writer, Georges invites nonspecialists to join him in pondering a host of urgent questions: What risks do humans run in letting computers revise their own programs in ways we no longer control or even fully understand? How will humans need to revise their moral codes when superintelligent computers develop consciousness and emotions? Will courts need to prosecute humans who pull the plug on a conscious but defiant computer? Georges' speculative questions require readers to suspend long-held assumptions--many enshrined in religious doctrines--about the metaphysical uniqueness of humans as thinking creatures. But traditional understandings of human dignity and autonomy, Georges warns, can only reinforce social inertia, so delaying the honest discussions needed to revise the cultural covenant between science and society in ways that will ensure that technology serves truly humane and democratic ends. A book certain to spark sharp debate. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
Should the day come when intelligent machines not only make computations but also think and experience emotions as humans do, how will we distinguish the “human” from the “machine”? This introduction to artificial intelligence – and to its potentially profound social, moral, and ethical implications – is designed for readers with little or no technical background. In accessible, focused, engaging discussions, physicist and award-winning science writer Thomas Georges explores the fundamental issues: What is consciousness? Can computers be conscious? If machines could think and even feel, would they then be entitled to “human” rights? Will machines and people merge into a biomechanical race? Should we worry that super-intelligent machines might take over the world? Even now we continue to put increasingly sophisticated machines in control of critical aspects of our lives in ways that may hold unforeseen consequences for the human race. Digital Soul challenges all of us, before it’s too late, to think carefully and rationally about the kind of world we will want to live in – with intelligent machines ever closer by our sides.
About the Author
Thomas M. Georges is a former research scientist at the National Bureau of Standards, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.