Gelernter to Discuss New Book on the Meaning of Human Consciousness, March 31 

Author and computer scientist David Gelernter.

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 28, 2016) -- David Gelernter, author and professor of computer science at Yale University, will visit the University to discuss his new book, The Tides of Mind: Uncovering the Spectrum of Consciousness (2016) on Thursday, March 31 at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center. The book is an exploration of the human psyche that shows how the very purpose of the mind changes throughout the day.

Earlier that same day at 4:15 p.m., Gelernter will offer an informal seminar in the Recital Hall. Free and open to the public, the events are sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute, and cosponsored by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS).

Gelernter is the author of several books, including Mirror Worlds (1991), The Muse in the Machine: Computerizing the Poetry of Human Thought (1994), and Machine Beauty: Elegance and the Heart of Technology (1998).

In his latest book, Gelernter argues that works of literature from authors such as William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and J.M. Coetzee, can answer many of our most fundamental questions about the origins of creativity and the mysterious wonders of the human mind.

On June 24, 1993, Gelernter was severely injured by a mail bomb sent to him by Ted Kaczynski, also known as the “Unabomber,” and sustained permanent damage to both his right hand and right eye. During his recovery from this attack, Gelernter wrote three books, including a memoir entitled Drawing Life: Surviving the Unabomber (1997).

The son of computer scientist Herbert Gerlernter, one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence in the 1950s, David Gelernter received a B.A. and M.A. in classical Hebrew literature from Yale University before earning his Ph.D. in computer science from Stony Brook University in 1982. Throughout the 1980s, Gelernter was a pioneer in the field of parallel computing, in which complex tasks are divided up and multiple computers work simultaneously to accomplish individual mini-tasks and combine the finished pieces. Along with Nicholas Carriero, Gelernter developed the computer programming system known as “Linda,” which has been implemented into programming languages from C to Fortran to Java.

In addition to his work as a professor of computer science, an artist, and a writer, Gelernter is a prominent conservative columnist and a frequent contributor to publications such as The Weekly Standard and Commentary.

For additional information, visit the New York State Writers Institute or call (518) 442-5620.

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