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The Cambridge Quintet: A Work of Scientific SpeculationIn this narrative tour de force, gifted scientist and author John L. Casti contemplates an imaginary evening of intellectual inquiry a sort of "My Dinner with" not Andre, but five of the most brilliant thinkers of the twentieth century. Imagine, if you will, one stormy summer evening in 1949, as novelist and scientist C. P. Snow, Britain's distinguished wartime science advisor and author of The Two Cultures, invites four singular guests to a sumptuous
In this narrative tour de force, gifted scientist and author John L. Casti contemplates an imaginary evening of intellectual inquiry--a sort of "My Dinner with" not Andre, but five of the most brilliant thinkers of the twentieth century.Imagine, if you will, one stormy summer evening in 1949, as novelist and scientist C. P. Snow, Britain's distinguished wartime science advisor and author of The Two Cultures, invites four singular guests to a sumptuous seven-course dinner at his alma mater, Christ's College, Cambridge, to discuss one of the emerging scientific issues of the day: Can we build a machine that could duplicate human cognitive processes? The distinguished guest list for Snow's dinner consists of physicist Erwin Schrodinger, inventor of wave mechanics; Ludwig Wittgenstein, the famous twentieth-century philosopher of language, who posited two completely contradictory theories of human thought in his lifetime; population geneticist/science popularizer J.B.S. Haldane; and Alan Turing, the mathematician/codebreaker who formulated the computing scheme that foreshadowed the logical structure of all modern computers. Capturing not only their unique personalities but also their particular stands on this fascinating issue, Casti dramatically shows what each of these great men might have argued about artificial intelligence, had they actually gathered for dinner that midsummer evening.With Snow acting as referee, a lively intellectual debate unfolds. Philosopher Wittgenstein argues that in order to become conscious, a machine would have to have life experiences similar to those of human beings--such as pain, joy, grief, or pleasure. Biologist Haldane offers the idea that mind is a separate entity from matter, so that regardless of how sophisticated the machine, only flesh can bond with that mysterious force called intelligence. Both physicist Schrodinger and, of course, computer pioneer Turing maintain that it is not the substance, but rather the organization of that substance, that makes a mind conscious.With great verve and skill, Casti recreates a unique and thrilling moment of time in the grand history of scientific ideas. Even readers who have already formed an opinion on artificial intelligence will be forced to reopen their minds on the subject upon reading this absorbing narrative. After almost four decades, the solutions to the epic scientific and philosophical problems posed over this meal in C. P. Snow's old rooms at Christ's College remains tantalizingly just out of reach, making this adventure into scientific speculation as valid today as it was in 1949.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 04/23/1999
ISBN: 9780738201382
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 9.14h x 5.94w x 0.26d
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★★★★★ 5
Great quality, fun design.
Color: No Stuffing Blue Eel
Wonderfully durable.. We have a 3 y/o australian kelpey and a 2 y/o pitty.. both are incredibly playful and tear up toys like nobody's business. A lot of the time under a day.. We're on day three with this eel, they love it and its holding firm (no tears or missing pieces). Squeakers are their favorite and these ones are perfect ( prominent but not too loud)
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Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Sturdy
Color: No Stuffing Blue Eel
It’s has held up pretty good for my aggressive chewer dog. She typically tore these types of toys apart immediately. One of the ears she pulled off right away but the toy itself has stayed intakes (so far). It keeps her occupied long enough and she drags it everywhere with her.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2026
★★★★★ 4
size is small
Color: No Stuffing Blue Eel
Smaller than I anticipated but my dog enjoys it. After 3 days it is already getting ripped a little bit where the treats get hidden so not sure how long it will last. My dog is about 40 lbs.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2026
★★★★★ 5
5 Star Product vs. Destroyer of All Toys for Dogs
Style: Squirrel
Hey, just wanted to check in and let you know we got the product, it's exactly as it was described. Any other dog would have had this toy for years. Our dog bit the leg off and found both squeakers free of the toy within 10 minutes of having it unsupervised.
He really is a good boy, and you make a really good product. He just has this super power to demolish ANY toy that's made for an "aggressive chewer". It was worth the shot!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2020
★★★★★ 5
Cute
Style: Chipmunk
One of the more durable toys we have for stuffies.
Cute fir puppies
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Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2026