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Description
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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4.0 ★★★★★
Based on 18 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 4
Toy provides much fun and hilarity, seam rips.
Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant, Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant
So, I kind of bought this on a whim. But our dogs absolutely love this toy, and it provides many moments of hilarity as watching our medium sized dogs tote this giant toy around, whipping it back and forth, hitting themselves with it, is constant entertainment. The squeaker is still working nearly 6 months later, which is amazing. I only took off one star because I have had to perform surgery on this toy multiple times due to the seam coming open, letting the stuffing out, which is a major issue. I have to take it away from them (which they hate) then find time to sew it up until the next spot opens up. If I was smart, I'd just have reinforced the entire seam the first time, but no one said I was smart.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2025
★★★★★ 5
He loves them
Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant, Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant
Our Dog absolutely loves this little toy. Have a stock pile because, like all dog toys, they need replacing.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Great dog toy
Size: One Size, Pattern Name: Corn
My dog loves this toy. It is sturdy and great squeaker.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2025
★★★★★ 3
Cute but red fur does chew off 😜
Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Pepper
My dog loves this hot pepper. It's our 2nd but the red fur does come off so don't leave your pet unattended with it for an extended amount of time.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2026
★★★★★ 5
This worm, pretty sure it’s a worm and not a snake, can take a lot of abuse.
Size: X-Large (Pack of 1), Color: Blue Snake, Size: X-Large (Pack of 1), Color: Blue Snake
Snake, worm, whatever, my dog doesn’t care, she loves it all the same. My little friend can be kinda rough with her toys. This is no exception. The pictures are from roughly one month of giving it to her and include playing with it at least every other day or so. The top is holding up well, but the bottom has taken some damage, and two of the squeakers have long since been destroyed. Despite this, my dog still loves playing with it. We normally play tug of war together, but on her own she chews at it to get to the squeakers inside, which she promptly destroys, which I’m totally fine with, as quiet toys are much preferred, by me, not her. I believe there are 4 in the XL size that we got. We’ve had a few of these in the past. We tend to get about 6 months out of them. After she “lovingly” removes the squeakers, she doesn’t chew on it much, and we just use it for tug of war, but at that point she’s done enough damage to the underside that its time is limited. But, as it’s pretty low priced, for the time and enjoyment we do get out of it, it’s very much worth it. I do need to clarify, the durability is actually quite good, I don’t fault the product as at all, it’s just my dog is equally as good with destruction, but it should be noted this toy does last much longer than most of her victims. The color, (we got the blue and green) is also very vivid and nice, as is the texture. We’ll be purchasing again.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024