Non-Fiction Books:

God from the Machine

Artificial Intelligence Models of Religious Cognition
Click to share your rating 0 ratings (0.0/5.0 average) Thanks for your vote!
$356.99
Available from supplier

The item is brand new and in-stock with one of our preferred suppliers. The item will ship from a Mighty Ape warehouse within the timeframe shown.

Usually ships in 3-4 weeks

Buy Now, Pay Later with:

4 payments of $89.25 with Afterpay Learn more

Availability

Delivering to:

Estimated arrival:

  • Around 11-21 June using International Courier

Description

'God from the machine' (deus ex machina) refers to an ancient dramatic device where a god was mechanically brought onto the stage to save the hero from a difficult situation. But here, William Sims Bainbridge uses the term in a strikingly different way. Instead of looking to a machine to deliver an already known god, he asks what a computing machine and its simulations might teach us about how religion and religious beliefs come to being. Bainbridge posits the virtual town of Cyburg, population 44,100. Then, using rules for individual and social behavior taken from the social sciences, he models a complex community where residents form groups, learn to trust or distrust each other, and develop religious faith. Bainbridge's straightforward arguments point to many more applications of computer simulation in the study of religion. God from the Machine will serve as an important text in any class with a social scientific approach to religion.

Author Biography:

William Sims Bainbridge is director of the Science and Engineering Information Integration and Informatics Program at the National Science Foundation, as well as adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at George Mason University. He is the author or editor of over 20 books including The Future for Religion, A Theory of Religion, and the Berkshire Encyclopedia Of Human-Computer Interaction.
Release date Australia
April 17th, 2006
Audience
  • General (US: Trade)
Pages
188
Dimensions
163x237x19
ISBN-13
9780759107434
Product ID
5324045

Customer reviews

Nobody has reviewed this product yet. You could be the first!

Write a Review

Marketplace listings

There are no Marketplace listings available for this product currently.
Already own it? Create a free listing and pay just 9% commission when it sells!

Sell Yours Here

Help & options

Filed under...