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Mind as Machine: A History of Cognitive Science
The development of cognitive science is one of the most remarkable and fascinating intellectual achievements of the modern era. The quest to understand the mind is as old as recorded human thought; but the progress of modern science has offered new methods and techniques which have
revolutionized this enquiry. Oxford University Press now presents a masterful history of cognitive science, told by one of its most eminent practitioners.
Cognitive science is the project of understanding the mind by modeling its workings. Psychology is its heart, but it draws together various adjoining fields of research, including artificial intelligence; neuroscientific study of the brain; philosophical investigation of mind, language, logic, and
understanding; computational work on logic and reasoning; linguistic research on grammar, semantics, and communication; and anthropological explorations of human similarities and differences. Each discipline, in its own way, asks what the mind is, what it does, how it works, how it developed - how
it is even possible. The key distinguishing characteristic of cognitive science, Boden suggests, compared with older ways of thinking about the mind, is the notion of understanding the mind as a kind of machine. She traces the origins of cognitive science back to Descartes's revolutionary ideas, and
follows the story through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when the pioneers of psychology and computing appear. Then she guides the reader through the complex interlinked paths along which the study of the mind developed in the twentieth century. Cognitive science, in Boden's broad
conception, covers a wide range of aspects of not just 'cognition' in the sense of knowledge or reasoning, but emotion, personality, social communication, and even action. In each area of investigation, Boden introduces the key ideas and the people who developed them.
No one else could tell this story as Boden she has been an active participant in cognitive science since the 1960s, and has known many of the key figures personally. Her narrative is written in a lively, swift-moving style, enriched by the personal touch of someone who knows the story at first
hand. Her history looks forward as well as it is her conviction that cognitive science today--and tomorrow--cannot be properly understood without a historical perspective. Mind as Machine will be a rich resource for anyone working on the mind, in any academic discipline, who wants to know how
our understanding of our mental activities and capacities has developed.
revolutionized this enquiry. Oxford University Press now presents a masterful history of cognitive science, told by one of its most eminent practitioners.
Cognitive science is the project of understanding the mind by modeling its workings. Psychology is its heart, but it draws together various adjoining fields of research, including artificial intelligence; neuroscientific study of the brain; philosophical investigation of mind, language, logic, and
understanding; computational work on logic and reasoning; linguistic research on grammar, semantics, and communication; and anthropological explorations of human similarities and differences. Each discipline, in its own way, asks what the mind is, what it does, how it works, how it developed - how
it is even possible. The key distinguishing characteristic of cognitive science, Boden suggests, compared with older ways of thinking about the mind, is the notion of understanding the mind as a kind of machine. She traces the origins of cognitive science back to Descartes's revolutionary ideas, and
follows the story through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when the pioneers of psychology and computing appear. Then she guides the reader through the complex interlinked paths along which the study of the mind developed in the twentieth century. Cognitive science, in Boden's broad
conception, covers a wide range of aspects of not just 'cognition' in the sense of knowledge or reasoning, but emotion, personality, social communication, and even action. In each area of investigation, Boden introduces the key ideas and the people who developed them.
No one else could tell this story as Boden she has been an active participant in cognitive science since the 1960s, and has known many of the key figures personally. Her narrative is written in a lively, swift-moving style, enriched by the personal touch of someone who knows the story at first
hand. Her history looks forward as well as it is her conviction that cognitive science today--and tomorrow--cannot be properly understood without a historical perspective. Mind as Machine will be a rich resource for anyone working on the mind, in any academic discipline, who wants to know how
our understanding of our mental activities and capacities has developed.
1712 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 7, 2022
It's a difficult book to review, simply due to its size and ambition. No wonder Man as Machine has been hailed as Margaret Boden's magnum opus, serving as probably the richest history of the cognitive sciences. The range of the themes discussed is just bedazzling. Anyone who comes across this work will surely discover new things — or, at the least, come to appreciate how lively and diverse the field of cognitive sciences is. And the author's wide reading, bold and frank judgements only add value.
However — the good writing and lovely little anecdotes apart — this two-volume work suffers from three major issues:
First, given its length and structure, the work is neither suited for cover-to-cover reading, nor can it be readily consulted as a reference work. There are large chapters or sections that may not be of your interest. Many terms are used, only to be explained a few pages or chapters (!) down the line. All this makes the author's recommendation to 'begin at the beginning and and go on till you end' rather unreliable. This is why the ideal reader would be thick skinned enough to just bulldoze their way through the book, ignoring anything you don't understand on the first go.
Second, there are far too many cross-references. Boden's purpose was pointing out interesting historical connections. But their sheer number can break the flow and put off any reader. And, unless you're using a digital version with hyperlinks, they're more or less useless. The larger criticism here is that it's a lazy (sorry!) manner of pointing out connections or historical influences: to simply drop names or have someone sweat over the endless cross-referencing. Instead, in order to argue genuine casual connections or historical trends, a historian must do the additional work and make a solid case. They must present arguments in the form of chapter names, newly identified historical processes, illustrative timelines, etc. Besides, without such scaffolding, a student can wade through this tome and feel dizzy and proud at the end, but with no better grasp of issues. (Although, maybe it's just my short attention span? Or maybe scholarly works cannot be expected to adopt a textbook-style, offering mnemonic aids or recap sections on every page? )
Third, there is too little scientific detail. I feel that some experimental detail is necessary to point out intellectual trends and connections; an entire history of a field cannot be written relying only on the 'Discussion' section of various papers. Instead, fleshing out the experimental paradigm, methods, and empirical data is key to a convincing (and reliable!) history. Else, it’s all in the air…e.g., no clear description of the methods in cognitive neuroscience, and their origins, functioning, flaws, and main findings.
However, no work is perfect. If anything, in spite of these flaws, Man as Machine is probably the best current history of cognitive sciences. I also think this work would help prompt more work and historiography for the beautiful discipline that cognitive sciences are.
© Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0
However — the good writing and lovely little anecdotes apart — this two-volume work suffers from three major issues:
First, given its length and structure, the work is neither suited for cover-to-cover reading, nor can it be readily consulted as a reference work. There are large chapters or sections that may not be of your interest. Many terms are used, only to be explained a few pages or chapters (!) down the line. All this makes the author's recommendation to 'begin at the beginning and and go on till you end' rather unreliable. This is why the ideal reader would be thick skinned enough to just bulldoze their way through the book, ignoring anything you don't understand on the first go.
Second, there are far too many cross-references. Boden's purpose was pointing out interesting historical connections. But their sheer number can break the flow and put off any reader. And, unless you're using a digital version with hyperlinks, they're more or less useless. The larger criticism here is that it's a lazy (sorry!) manner of pointing out connections or historical influences: to simply drop names or have someone sweat over the endless cross-referencing. Instead, in order to argue genuine casual connections or historical trends, a historian must do the additional work and make a solid case. They must present arguments in the form of chapter names, newly identified historical processes, illustrative timelines, etc. Besides, without such scaffolding, a student can wade through this tome and feel dizzy and proud at the end, but with no better grasp of issues. (Although, maybe it's just my short attention span? Or maybe scholarly works cannot be expected to adopt a textbook-style, offering mnemonic aids or recap sections on every page? )
Third, there is too little scientific detail. I feel that some experimental detail is necessary to point out intellectual trends and connections; an entire history of a field cannot be written relying only on the 'Discussion' section of various papers. Instead, fleshing out the experimental paradigm, methods, and empirical data is key to a convincing (and reliable!) history. Else, it’s all in the air…e.g., no clear description of the methods in cognitive neuroscience, and their origins, functioning, flaws, and main findings.
However, no work is perfect. If anything, in spite of these flaws, Man as Machine is probably the best current history of cognitive sciences. I also think this work would help prompt more work and historiography for the beautiful discipline that cognitive sciences are.
© Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0
April 2, 2014
Probably the most comprehensive thing ever written on the history of cognitive science. But Boden promises much more than a dry history here. This set is actually the breathtaking story of the humankind walking towards artificial intelligence via language, philosophy and ethics. And lastly, the language of the book is far from an academic text making it easy to read without sacrificing the intellectual depth. Chomsky fans can be a little offended when they read the section an linguistics, though:)
May 10, 2020
A wonderful reference on the history of cognitive science to which I always go back to when some trendy research topics make the field feel strange and confused.
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March 28, 2026Kaboom what a whollop, this is ‘The Work’ .
November 30, 2008
Every pages sends me back to the library ....
August 23, 2010
an excellent book! the main meal is an overview of the topic, with an enjoyable put-down of Chomsky as dessert!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews