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Dissertation Information for William Aspray

NAME:
- William Aspray

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- History of Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA) (1980)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: FROM MATHEMATICAL CONSTRUCTIVITY TO COMPUTER SCIENCE: ALAN TURING, JOHN VON NEUMANN, AND THE ORIGINS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE IN MATHEMATICAL LOGIC

Abstract: "This dissertation examines the origins of computer science in that branch of mathematical logic known as recursive function theory. In particular, it discusses the contributions made by Alan Turing and John von Neumann.

The first third of the dissertation examines the mathematical background that led to the development of recursive function theory. It argues that, due to the use of abstraction and infinity, there was a foundational crisis in mathematics. The crisis centered around counter-intuitive and meaningless results, unwarranted assumption of powerful principles, and outright contradictions in mathematics. The answer to the crisis was a conservative, philosophically based reaction, known as constructivism, which attemped to reformulate the foundations of mathematics by constructing every object of mathematical interest from primitively accepted objects.

The attempts to make mathematically precise which objects were constructable led to the new mathematical discipline of recursive function theory. Many different characterizations of the recursive functions were given by the mathematicians. However, the first one to be both precise enough to be used in formal mathematics and intuitive enough to convince the mathematical community that it characterized the constructable functions was given by Alan Turing. His characterization was in the form of a theoretical machine which would carry out the computations.

The second section of the dissertation examines the attempts to work Turing's logical idea of an idealized computing machine into the design of modern computing machinery. To that end, Turing's work on computing machinery at Bletchley Park (Robinson Series, COLOSSUS), the National Physical Laboratory (ACE), and the University of Manchester (MANIAC) is examined. Von Neumann's work on the ENIAC, EDVAC, and Institute for Advanced Study computers is also considered, with emphasis placed on his logical design of computers.

The third section of this dissertation considers the development of theoretical computer science and, more generally, the theory of information processing. It argues that, after the second world war, a small group of diversely trained scientists, including Claude Shannon, Norbert Wiener, Warren McCulloch, Turing, and Von Neumann, developed a number of new scientific disciplines around the general concept of information processing. These fields included communication theory, cybernetics, physiological psychology, automata theory, and artificial intelligence. Von Neumann's work on automata theory and Turing's work on artificial intelligence are discussed in particular detail.

The dissertation is distinguished from other work in the history of computers by its attempt to go beyond the discussion of genealogies of machines and machine technology. It aims to demonstrate roots of computer science in mathematics, logic, philosophy, psychology, physiology, and physics."

MPACT Scores for William Aspray

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:30:36

Advisors and Advisees Graph

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Students under William Aspray

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- Kathryn La Barre - Indiana University (2006)