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Herbert A. Simon
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Models of My Life (Mit Press) Paperback – October 8, 1996

by Herbert A. Simon (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 77 ratings
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In this candid and witty autobiography, Nobel laureate Herbert A. Simon looks at his distinguished and varied career, continually asking himself whether (and how) what he learned as a scientist helps to explain other aspects of his life.

A brilliant polymath in an age of increasing specialization, Simon is one of those rare scholars whose work defines fields of inquiry. Crossing disciplinary lines in half a dozen fields, Simon's story encompasses an explosion in the information sciences, the transformation of psychology by the information-processing paradigm, and the use of computer simulation for modeling the behavior of highly complex systems.

Simon's theory of bounded rationality led to a Nobel Prize in economics, and his work on building machines that think—based on the notion that human intelligence is the rule-governed manipulation of symbols—laid conceptual foundations for the new cognitive science. Subsequently, contrasting metaphors of the maze (Simon's view) and of the mind (neural nets) have dominated the artificial intelligence debate.

There is also a warm account of his successful marriage and of an unconsummated love affair, letters to his children, columns, a short story, and political and personal intrigue in academe.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The MIT Press
  4. Publication date
    October 8, 1996
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    8.99 x 5.96 x 1.04 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    026269185X
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0262691857
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"As much as any one person, Herbert A. Simon has shaped the intellectual agenda of the human and social sciences in the second half of the 20th century .... For many readers, Mr. Simon's view of human endeavor, of love and of work, will seem emblematic not of the pre-Freudian rationalism-that-was but a new, sleeker, rationalism-to-be--a rationalism purged of utopian excess, committed to empirical studies, and wedded to the most modern technology."--Sherry Turkle, "New York Times Book Review"

& quot; As much as any one person, Herbert A. Simon has shaped the intellectual agenda of the human and social sciences in the second half of the 20th century .... For many readers, Mr. Simon's view of human endeavor, of love and of work, will seem emblematic not of the pre-Freudian rationalism-that-was but a new, sleeker, rationalism-to-be -- a rationalism purged of utopian excess, committed to empirical studies, and wedded to the most modern technology.& quot; -- Sherry Turkle, New York Times Book Review

" As much as any one person, Herbert A. Simon has shaped the intellectual agenda of the human and social sciences in the second half of the 20th century .... For many readers, Mr. Simon's view of human endeavor, of love and of work, will seem emblematic not of the pre-Freudian rationalism-that-was but a new, sleeker, rationalism-to-be -- a rationalism purged of utopian excess, committed to empirical studies, and wedded to the most modern technology." -- Sherry Turkle, "New York Times Book Review"

-- Sherry Turkle, "New York Times Book Review"

From the Back Cover

In this candid and witty autobiography, Nobel laureate Herbert A. Simon looks at his distinguished and varied career, continually asking himself whether (and how) what he learned as a scientist helps to explain other aspects of his life. A brilliant polymath in an age of increasing specialization, Simon is one of those rare scholars whose work defines fields of inquiry. Crossing disciplinary lines among half a dozen fields, Simon's story encompasses an explosion in the information sciences, the transformation of psychology by the information-processing paradigm, and the use of computer simulation for modeling the behavior of highly complex systems. Simon's theory of bounded rationality led to a Nobel Prize in economics, and his work on building machines that think - based on the notion that human intelligence is the rule-governed manipulation of symbols - laid conceptual foundations for the new cognitive science. Subsequently, contrasting metaphors of the maze (Simon's view) and of the mind (neural nets) have dominated the artificial intelligence debate. There is also a warm account of his successful marriage and of an unconsummated love affair, letters to his children, columns, a short story, and political and personal intrigue in academe.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The MIT Press; First Edition (October 8, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 026269185X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262691857
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.99 x 5.96 x 1.04 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 77 ratings

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Herbert A. Simon

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
77 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Oscar
5.0 out of 5 stars A great life.
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book came to me as an incredible eye opener. I love reading biographies that show how people face tough, uncertain times; how they dealt with it, what they thought as they were experiencing adversity.

Sometimes it feels like everyone is following a trend. We are continously searching for our path. It is a great example of how learning and having your own criteria is the most valuable asset in life. It is comforting to read about someone that encourages learning different fields turning us into thoughtful, conscious and meaningful human beings.

We all know about this man's achievements, but it is truly amazing to read on detail how he came to be this multidisciplined knowledable man. How this led to AI given his ability to correlate and integrate different interests that are so valuable to our every day life.

The book is easy to read for people that are curious. It's a great mix of history, innovation, politics and learning.

I can only say this was a remarkable man that left a legacy, knowledge, technology and set the stage for modern life.
17 people found this helpful
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R. Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars ... have not finished this yet but so far a great read with much insight into the authors mind
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2016
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I have not finished this yet but so far a great read with much insight into the authors mind.
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Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a really great book! It is definitely written by an academic, which makes it tough to read at some points, but it is worth it.
2 people found this helpful
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The Ops Doctor
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent treatise on academic life
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2009
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book for those who are considering life in academia on up through junior faculty. It should be required reading in all doctoral programs. This book provides unique insights into academic life, teaching philosophies, sparking and executing research, and the thought processes of senior faculty.
4 people found this helpful
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PJ
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015
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I gave it as a gift and they liked it.
One person found this helpful
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Noppadon Kamol
5.0 out of 5 stars Learn the Why and How of a Distinguished Life
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2002
Herbert Simon's research contributes to human knowledge in many different areas, including economics, artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and organizational behavior. In each of the mentioned areas, his contributions are ranked among the most important and influential that even a scientist who focuses solely in one area finds hard to achieve. The testimony is the top awards that the community in each discipline bestowed upon him--the Nobel prize is only one of which.
The secret of this interdisciplinary success is that he is, in his own word, a "monomaniac", studying only one thing--human decision process--for fifty years. The field of his own choosing is not bounded by usual academic disciplines, however, and he did study it from many different aspects, from the levels of individual cognition to organizational decisions, using tools as varied as mathematics, computer simulations, and human subjects.
This book detailed his own account of the various aspects of his life, personal and professional, in a sincere and direct prose. From the childhood that undoubtedly helped set the tone for his later accomplishments, the way he managed and nurtured new academic thoughts that later grown into full-fledged disciplines (artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and, less prominently, bounded rationality), to the philosophy of working and living including brief exposures to familial life, we can learn tremendously from hise xperience, decisions, and actions.
How could he achieve as much as he did? We can glean several lessons from his stories. He collaborated extensively. He learned a great deal from the outstanding individuals he respected. He had a love for truth and rigor in reasoning. An empiricist who firmly believed that any valid theory must be based on empirical facts, he did not hesitate to fight against widely held beliefs conflicting with facts. His work on bounded rationality which helped earn him the Nobel Prize is an outstanding case which his stubborn, and valid, arguments against mainstream theories brought a valuable alternative viewpoint to the world. Strong passion and the ability to break out of the mold and stand tall under storms are important characteristics exemplified by many past giants, including Galileo, Columbus, and Einstein.
Not just a normal autobiography, but the story of a distinguished life we all can learn from.
17 people found this helpful
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A. Sura
4.0 out of 5 stars Renaissance Man of the 20th Century
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2003
The late Herbert Simon was a veritable renaissance man. His autobiography, "Models of My Life," discusses the single thread that underlined all of his intellectual conquests in artificial intelligence, sociology, cognitive science, psychology and economics. This one thread, animated by philosophical positivism and ripe scientific thirst, was his deep obsession with modeling and researching decision-theoretic behavior.
It's interesting to note that even though decision theory (how intelligent agents percieve and act upon choices amid various modalities) serves as the impetus for Simons work, he uses "Models" instead of "Model" in the book's title. This is no accident. For you see, beautifully fitting of his memoir, this book delves into how Simon's one passion was his "heuristic" in choosing which of many paths he could have taken througout his life. The upshot: Simon's own life emulated the heuristic search (in AI) that he helped invent! Consequently, this lead him all over the globe, from Wisconsin to UChicago to Berkeley to Carnegie Mellon to China.
This book is also about the times of Simon: the positivistic turn in social sciences, the scientific fermet of the 1950's, the cultural tumult of the 60's, the death of behaviorism and the rise of cognitivism -- all along, peppered with intrigue of the politics of academia. Although the writing can get quite dry at times, his book is highly recommended.
31 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

raghav
1.0 out of 5 stars Heard great things about the book . But really delayed.
Reviewed in Australia on August 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Maybe the book is great . Shipping had taken a long time .
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