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Herbert A. Simon
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The Sciences of the Artificial, reissue of the third edition with a new introduction by John Laird Kindle Edition

by Herbert A. Simon (Author), John E. Laird (Introduction) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 95 ratings
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Herbert Simon's classic work on artificial intelligence in the expanded and updated third edition from 1996, with a new introduction by John E. Laird.

Herbert Simon's classic and influential The Sciences of the Artificial declares definitively that there can be a science not only of natural phenomena but also of what is artificial. Exploring the commonalities of artificial systems, including economic systems, the business firm, artificial intelligence, complex engineering projects, and social plans, Simon argues that designed systems are a valid field of study, and he proposes a science of design. For this third edition, originally published in 1996, Simon added new material that takes into account advances in cognitive psychology and the science of design while confirming and extending the book's basic thesis: that a physical symbol system has the necessary and sufficient means for intelligent action.

Simon won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1978 for his research into the decision-making process within economic organizations and the Turing Award (considered by some the computer science equivalent to the Nobel) with Allen Newell in 1975 for contributions to artificial intelligence, the psychology of human cognition, and list processing. The Sciences of the Artificial distills the essence of Simon's thought accessibly and coherently. This reissue of the third edition makes a pioneering work available to a new audience.

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  1. Print length
    255 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    The MIT Press
  5. Publication date
    August 13, 2019
  6. File size
    794 KB
  7. Page Flip
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Editorial Reviews

Review

People sometimes ask me what they should read to find out about artificial intelligence. Herbert Simon's book The Sciences of the Artificial is always on the list I give them. Every page issues a challenge to conventional thinking, and the layman who digests it well will certainly understand what the field of artificial intelligence hopes to accomplish. I recommend it in the same spirit that I recommend Freud to people who ask about psychoanalysis, or Piaget to those who ask about child psychology: if you want to learn about a subject, start by reading its founding fathers.

(George A. Miller Complex Information Processing)

From the Back Cover

As the Earth has made more than 5,000 rotations since The Sciences of the Artificial was last revised, in 1981, it is time to ask what changes in our understanding of the world call for changes in the text.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08MQ2PJNT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The MIT Press (August 13, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 13, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 794 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 255 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0262537532
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 95 ratings

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Herbert A. Simon

Herbert A. Simon

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
95 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and valuable
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2017
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Brilliant and valuable, nothing better in understanding the differences between traditional discovery science and the sciences of design. These artificial sciences that are operationally dependent on the traditional discovery sciences but are fundamentally different. These include the professions of engineering, organizational development and public and private management and administration and problem solving. Nobody does this better than the late Nobel prize winner Herbert Simon.
3 people found this helpful
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Stephen Liversage
5.0 out of 5 stars You cannot simply read this book once, twice or even three times!
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2014
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How could I NOT give Simon's seminal work five stars?

It's one of those books that has always made me think, not just about design and systems but about logic, patterns and critical thinking.

To summarise this book in one (long) sentence it would be:

If you have the passion to read and reflect on every single sentence and idea in the book, it helps you appreciate that you have been perceiving the world hithero in black and white
6 people found this helpful
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Will Norskov
5.0 out of 5 stars I wish he was still alive and made many video lectures
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2017
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This book is impressive. The author's experience and awards says it all. The citation from google scholar is more than 20,000. I have read it for almost nine months and finally finished last month.

It gave you so many provoking thoughts even before the big data era.
7 people found this helpful
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Hhm Tromp
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2014
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After 18 years still a valuable contribution to the philosophy of technology
2 people found this helpful
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June Massoud
5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Sciences of the Artificial
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2009
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I am really enjoying reading this book. It is very well written. I understand all they are talking about because of my background in engineering, but also because I understand psychology and computer science. It's a very easy read, full of rich ideas. I really enjoy this author very much. It's not for everyone, but for people who understand the fields I mention here.
5 people found this helpful
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davidw
3.0 out of 5 stars Bought it for class in August
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2013
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Received the book when promised, in like new conditin. Had plenty of time to read entire contents before class meetings in August.
One person found this helpful
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Blaine Lilly
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly thought provoking and original...
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2006
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This book is one of the most thought provoking, challenging books I've come across in many years. Simon tosses off ideas like a Border Collie shaking off water. This is not a book to be skimmed, or to be taken lightly, but a slow careful reading will certainly pay off. I read this book for insights into product design, and it did not disappoint.
37 people found this helpful
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2016
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Very good book
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Emanuele
5.0 out of 5 stars The Sciences of Artificial
Reviewed in Italy on April 4, 2016
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The Sciences of Artificial is one of the best introduction to the field.
I really enjoyed this lecture and I warmly recommend it
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Amazon Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Important and useful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2013
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The science of the artificial can be represented by theories like control theory and game theory, Simon says. This book has not only had an influence on how to research artificial intelligence, but in recent years it has become an increasingly important reference in information systems research. Although the third edition seems to present all of Simon's wide research interestes into a unified perspective, one might sometimes wish that he had been able to explain some of the ideas more clearly by use of more instructive diagrams and formulae. Not at least for information systems researchers interested in action research should this book be of vital importance.
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中尾正博
5.0 out of 5 stars 大したもんだ！！！！
Reviewed in Japan on October 29, 2015
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良かった！なかなかのもんだ、今後もよろしくお願いします。。。。
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