The Universal Computer - The Road from Leibniz to Turing (Turing Centenary Edition)

The breathtakingly rapid pace of change in computing makes it easy to overlook the pioneers who began it all. Written by Martin Davis, respected logician and researcher in the theory of computation, The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing explores the fascinating lives, ideas, and discoveries of seven remarkable mathematicians. It tells the stories of the unsung heroes of the computer age – the logicians. The story begins with Leibniz in the 17th century and then focuses on Boole, Frege, Cantor, Hilbert, and Gödel, before turning to Turing. Turing's analysis of algorithmic processes led to a single, all-purpose machine that could be programmed to carry out such processes—the computer. Davis describes how this incredible group, with lives as extraordinary as their accomplishments, grappled with logical reasoning and its mechanization. By investigating their achievements and failures, he shows how these pioneers paved the way for modern computing. Bringing the material up to date, in this revised edition Davis discusses the success of the IBM Watson on Jeopardy, reorganizes the information on incompleteness, and adds information on Konrad Zuse. A distinguished prize-winning logician, Martin Davis has had a career of more than six decades devoted to the important interface between logic and computer science. His expertise, combined with his genuine love of the subject and excellent storytelling, make him the perfect person to tell this story. Front Cover......Page 1 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Preface to the Turing Centenary Edition......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 1. Leibniz's Dream......Page 16 2. Boole Turns Logic into Algebra......Page 32 3. Frege: From Breakthrough to Despair......Page 50 4. Cantor: Detour through Infinity......Page 66 5. Hilbert to the Rescue......Page 86 6. Gödel Upsets the Applecart......Page 106 7. Turing Conceives of the All-Purpose Computer......Page 138 8. Making the First Universal Computers......Page 172 9. Beyond Leibniz's Dream......Page 192 Epilogue......Page 202 Notes......Page 204 Bibliography......Page 224 The breathtakingly rapid pace of change in computing makes it easy to overlook the pioneers who began it all. Written by Martin Davis, respected logician and researcher in the theory of computation, The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing explores the fascinating lives, ideas, and discoveries of seven remarkable mathematicians. It tells the stories of the unsung heroes of the computer age -- the logicians. The story begins with Leibniz in the 17th century and then focuses on Boole, Frege, Cantor, Hilbert, and Godel, before turning to Turing. Turing's analysis of algorithmic pro