Professor Kowalski has always been an intellectual beacon of thought on the issues related to using computational thinking to help frame more rational human thinking, and this book helps do that like no other.

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Computational Logic and Human Thinking: How to be Artificially Intelligent Paperback – Illustrated, 21 July 2011
by
Robert Kowalski
(Author)
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The practical benefits of computational logic need not be limited to mathematics and computing. As this book shows, ordinary people in their everyday lives can profit from the recent advances that have been developed for artificial intelligence. The book draws upon related developments in various fields from philosophy to psychology and law. It pays special attention to the integration of logic with decision theory, and the use of logic to improve the clarity and coherence of communication in natural languages such as English. This book is essential reading for teachers and researchers who may be out of touch with the latest developments in computational logic. It will also be useful in any undergraduate course that teaches practical thinking, problem solving or communication skills. Its informal presentation makes the book accessible to readers from any background, but optional, more formal, chapters are also included for those who are more technically oriented.
- ISBN-100521194172
- ISBN-13978-0521123365
- Edition1st
- PublisherCambridge University Press
- Publication date21 July 2011
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions15.24 x 1.93 x 22.86 cm
- Print length334 pages
Product description
Review
'[This book] is a superb introduction both to AI from within a computational logic framework and to its application to human rationality and reasoning. Nothing else comes close. Kowalski writes with philosophical insight and just the right level of technical expertise. He puts the excitement back in AI. This sets [this book] apart from the technically overwhelming, and all too often largely unintuitive and uninspiring, encyclopedic introductions that currently dominate the field.' Thomas A. Blackson, Arizona State University
'Artificial Intelligence (or AI) tries to program computers so that they can think intelligently like humans. In this book, one of the pioneers of AI suggests something new and original, namely to use the results of AI to improve human thinking … Anyone who wants to reason better and more effectively in everyday life should study Robert Kowalski's book.' Donald Gillies, University College London
'Artificial Intelligence (or AI) tries to program computers so that they can think intelligently like humans. In this book, one of the pioneers of AI suggests something new and original, namely to use the results of AI to improve human thinking … Anyone who wants to reason better and more effectively in everyday life should study Robert Kowalski's book.' Donald Gillies, University College London
Book Description
Learn how computational logic, as developed in artificial intelligence, can be applied to everyday situations.
About the Author
Robert Kowalski is Emeritus Professor and Research Investigator in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London. He recently received the IJCAI 2011 Award for Research Excellence for his contributions to logic for knowledge representation and problem solving, including his pioneering work on automated theorem proving and logic programming.
Product details
- ASIN : 0521123364
- Publisher : Cambridge University Press
- Publication date : 21 July 2011
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- Print length : 334 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0521194172
- ISBN-13 : 978-0521123365
- Item weight : 535 g
- Dimensions : 15.24 x 1.93 x 22.86 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 836,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 507 in Natural Language Processing
- 554 in Mathematical Logic
- 2,220 in Artificial Intelligence & Semantics
- Customer Reviews:
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Schacher MarkusReviewed in Germany on 8 February 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars 6 von 5 Sternen
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseDieses Buch ist ein Meisterwerk. Lassen Sie sich nicht durch den Titel irritieren: Das Buch zeigt auf, wie man Philosophie, formale Logik sowie Erkenntnisse aus der künstlichen Intelligenz persönlich in vielen alltäglichen Situationen nutzbringend einsetzen kann.
Thematisch beginnt das Buch bei der Verbesserung der Kommunikation von Ideen: Kowalski schreibt zu Beginn des Buches, dass er als Student überall ausgezeichnete Noten hatte, ausser im schriftlichen English - bis er die Prinzipien der formalen Logik auf das Schreiben anzuwenden begann. Das vorliegende Buch ist eines der am besten verständlichen Bücher, die ich je gelesen habe - ganz offensichtlich hat die formale Logik hier massiv geholfen. Anhand verschiedener, leicht verständlicher Beispiele zeigt Kowalski z.B. auf,
- wie die Kenntnisse verschiedener psychologischer Effekte helfen, die Kommunikation effektiver zu gestalten und Missverständnisse zu vermeiden,
- wie Verhaltensvorschriften und Gesetze entwickelt und formuliert werden können, sodass sie verstanden und befolgt werden oder
- was eigentlich der Unterschied zwischen Reflexen, Instinkten und bewussten Handlungen ist und welche Rolle die Motivation hierbei spielt.
Gleichzeitig zeigt er aber auch auf, wie Sherlock Holmes seine Fälle löst, oder aber auch was der Unterschied zwischen einer Spezifikation und einer Implementation eines Software-Systems ist (ein wirklich unglaubliches Spektrum von Themen). Kowalski entwickelt ein (zugegebenermassen recht formales) Modell, wie der menschliche Geist zu funktionieren scheint. Er geht sogar so weit, dass sich Aspekte wie Moral, das (menschliche oder künstliche) Bewusstsein oder der Sinn des Lebens auf der Basis formaler Logik erklären lassen.
Das Buch ist in einer umgangssprachlichen und teilweise humorvollen Art und Weise geschrieben, die sehr wenig technische Vorkenntnisse erfordert und ausgesprochen motivierend ist. Trotzdem werden tiefe formallogische Themen wie Wahrheit, Negation, Modallogik, Deduktion, Induktion, Abduktion, Entscheidungstheorie, Beweisführungsverfahren, Event Calculus, Meta-Logik und mehr ziemlich detailliert abgehandelt (und dies auf weniger als 300 Seiten!). Die formal-technischen Details sind in 6 kompakten Anhängen zusammengefasst, deren Verständnis jedoch nicht für den Hauptteil des Buches erforderlich ist.
Ich verstehe das Buch als eine Zusammenfassung des Lebenswerkes von Robert Kowalski, meiner Meinung nach einer der grössten Logiker unserer Zeit und nicht zuletzt auch (zusammen mit Alain Colmerauer) Vater der Logik-Programmiersprache Prolog.
Der einzige Abzug am Buch (und daher nur 5 statt 6 Sterne) ist die teilweise etwas unglückliche Formatierung (Zeilenumbrüche) der Beispiele.
- IanReviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Maintains a level of pragmatism that I think most coders will appreciate
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseAs a software developer of eighteen years, I read this book hoping it would bring me up to speed with the current theories of intelligence, and gain a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of logic. It succeeded. The book requires a certain amount of mental focus, especially if, like me, your appreciation for mathematics came later in life, yet it maintains a level of pragmatism that I think most coders will appreciate.
We can become very effective and proficient with programming tools without having a strong formal background in logic. To create more intelligent systems we need a firmer grip of the fundamentals. Now suddenly AI is all the rage again, and research that once seemed frozen in AI winters has thawed to become immensely important to everyone.
The coding frameworks and languages we rely upon are temporary. Artificial Intelligence is here to stay, and the central theme of this book is that AI isn't just about how machines think, it's about how how humans think - and how thinking correctly can have immediate and impressive effects on the outside world thanks to technology; the natural extension of our humanity.
- Seng W. LokeReviewed in the United States on 1 January 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book and deserves a wide readership!
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI have worked with programming languages such as Prolog. This book introduces the key ideas in logic programming but goes much further in integrating ideas in a coherent framework with clearly written examples. This is a masterpiece from one of the pioneers in logic programming!
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drummerReviewed in Japan on 30 March 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars ロジックの大切さを知る本
Format: KindleVerified Purchaseロジックがいろいろと役立つ考え方を学べる
ニューラルネットからロジックにいくヒントになる。
人工知能の新しい見方が得られる。