Mechanizing Proof: Computing, Risk, and Trust (Inside Technology (Paperback)) (Paperback)
$31.80 - Free shipping worldwide (to United States and
all these other countries) Usually dispatched within 48 hours | |Short Description for Mechanizing Proof A sociological approach to the history of proof, as applied to and performed by computer systems.
Full description- Publisher: MIT Press
- Published: 02 March 2004
- Format: Paperback 440 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Sociology | Impact Of Science & Technology On Society | Computer Science
- ISBN 13: 9780262632959 ISBN 10: 0262632950
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Full description for Mechanizing Proof
Most aspects of our private and social lives -- our safety, the integrity of the financial system, the functioning of utilities and other services, and national security -- now depend on computing. But how can we know that this computing is trustworthy? In Mechanizing Proof, Donald MacKenzie addresses this key issue by investigating the interrelations of computing, risk, and mathematical proof over the last half century from the perspectives of history and sociology. His discussion draws on the technical literature of computer science and artificial intelligence and on extensive interviews with participants.MacKenzie argues that our culture now contains two ideals of proof: proof as traditionally conducted by human mathematicians, and formal, mechanized proof. He describes the systems constructed by those committed to the latter ideal and the many questions those systems raise about the nature of proof. He looks at the primary social influence on the development of automated proof -- the need to predict the behavior of the computer systems upon which human life and security depend -- and explores the involvement of powerful organizations such as the National Security Agency. He concludes that in mechanizing proof, and in pursuing dependable computer systems, we do not obviate the need for trust in our collective human judgment.
