David Gelernter

Yale University

David Gelernter invented the first social net and the first Twitter-type stream. Earlier, he invented the first Cloud (with Nick Carriero) in the form of a “tuple space,” 1982-83. He invented Linda as a graduate student—a distributed programming language that has been taught and used from Scandinavia to Wittwatersrand (South Africa). He predicted the Web and many still-unrealized developments in his book Mirror Worlds (1991)—“One of the most influential books in computer science” (Technology Review). In his 2015 book Tides of Mind, he described a new model of the human mind. Time called it a work of “arch-genius” (2017). He’s had a public debate with Kurzweil at MIT regarding the chances of building consciousness out of software (the chances are zero), served on the board of the National Endowment for the Arts (a presidential appointment, senate confirmation), wrote a novel that has recently been optioned by Playtone, has exhibited his paintings fairly widely and sold many, delivered a keynote lecture at the Commentary (magazine) annual dinner—and many other keynotes, speeches, lectures etc.

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Are Technology and Tradition at Odds?
David Gelernter & Robin Hanson
April 26, 2021