Algorithms to live by : the computer science of human decisions / Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Christian, Brian, 1984- author.

Griffiths, Tom, 1978- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human behavior--Mathematical models.

Human behavior.

Problem solving--Mathematics.

Problem solving.

Computer simulation.

Computer algorithms.

Physical Description:

x, 351 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Henry Holt and Company, [2016]

Language Note:

Text in English.

Summary:

A fascinating exploration of how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind. All our lives are constrained by limited space and time, limits that give rise to a particular set of problems. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of new activities and familiar favorites is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not: computers, too, face the same constraints, so computer scientists have been grappling with their version of such issues for decades. And the solutions they've found have much to teach us. In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, acclaimed author Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths show how the algorithms used by computers can also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of memory, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.--From dust jacket.

Contents:

Optimal stopping : when to stop looking

Explore/exploit : the latest vs. the greatest

Sorting : making order

Caching : forget about it

Scheduling : first things first

Bayes's Rule : predicting the future

Overfitting : when to think less

Relaxation : let it slide

Randomness : when to leave it to chance

Networking : how we connect

Game theory : the minds of others

Conclusion: Computational kindness.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-334) and index.

ISBN:

9781627790369

1627790365

OCLC:

908628787