- Unknown Binding: 34 pages
- Publisher: U.S. Army War College (1991)
- Language English
- ASIN: B0006D9JRG
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This remains one of the best books about the role
of computers in our society, dealing with such
topics as:
(1) How computers, by doing clerical work faster
than human clerks, have enabled established bureaucratic
structures to endure, and therefore the "computer
revolution" has really
been a powerful conservative/reactionary social process.
(2) How huge incomprehensible computer systems come
to tyrannize people (both end users and
maintenance programmers) into submitting to the systems'
irrational behavior, because the known problems cannot be
fixed without risk of making things even worse.
(3) The social responsibility of
technical workers, who generally are myopically focused
on "efficiently" doing whatever they do, without
being concerned about *what* should be being done
and whether what *they* are working on is something which
should be done differently or not be done at all.
This book should be *must* reading for all computer
programmers, computer "scientists", et al., to help
them begin
to think more about the social context of technology,
and begin to aspire to *wisdom* and *responsibility*
commensurate with the social impact of their work.
"Computer Power and Human Reason"
is also well written to be understandable by
lay persons. A wide range of readers
should find it enjoyable,
interesting and thought-provoking.
Thus it can help "Everyman" understand
better the role of computers in our lives.
Format:Paperback
By reading this book, gives a good benchmark to compare with present day reality. Easy reading, though dogmatic in parts.An up to date version would be helpful, showing the impact of HCI and psychology. This and programming/both web and object oriented, is the future.Lots of people research HCI , but from a very shallow knowledge base.I'm an expert in HCI, Psychology and Programming, so I believe I'm going to be in a powerful position in the future.I would recommend people to follow this path, and hopefully Weizenbaum will do the same, and write another insightful book.
Format:Paperback
I read parts of this book, thinking highly of it. I thought one particular passage from it, as quoted in Gates by Stepehen Manes and Paul Andrews, particulary stood amid the limelight: [t]he computer programmer . . . is a creator of universes for which alone is the lawgiver. . . .No playwright, no stage director, no emperor, however powerful, has ever exercised such absolute authority to arrange a stage of field a battle and to command such unswervingly dutiful actors or troops.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
