Computational Reflections
$169.51
- Paperback
400 pages
- Release Date
16 June 2026
Summary
A groundbreaking critique of the philosophical foundations of computing.
Computational Reflections is a wholly original investigation into the philosophical foundations of computing. The author’s lifetime of work is distilled into this volume, which explores what it means to compute.
The standard theoretical foundations of computer science address the fundamental concept of “mechanism” but almost completely ignore the crucial role of “meaning” in any computational practice. Ca…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780262051088 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0262051087 |
| Author: | Brian Cantwell Smith |
| Publisher: | MIT Press Ltd |
| Imprint: | MIT Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 400 |
| Release Date: | 16 June 2026 |
| Weight: | 369g |
| Dimensions: | 229mm x 152mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
ENDORSEMENTS
“Brian Cantwell Smith’s provocative, carefully reasoned reflections on computing are indispensable for computer scientists, philosophers, and any others aspiring to think seriously about the issues raised by the increasingly consequential uses of digital-computational systems.”
—Joseph Rouse, Hedding Professor of Moral Science, Wesleyan University; author of Articulating the World and Social Practices as Biological Niche Construction
“Cantwell Smith exposes a core problem of the computer-saturated, AI-driven world: confusing symbols with reality. Generative AI does not represent lived meaning but produces coherent hallucinations from tokens, which limits its suitability for roles requiring genuine understanding, care, and responsibility.”
—Terry Winograd, Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus, Stanford University; Codirector of the Stanford Human–Computer Interaction Group
About The Author
Brian Cantwell Smith
Brian Cantwell Smith was Professor of Information and of Philosophy as well as the Reid Hoffman Professor of Artificial Intelligence and the Human at the University of Toronto. His books include On the Origin of Objects and The Promise of Artificial Intelligence (both MIT Press).
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