From Minecraft to Minds

The subject of the computability of the mind introduces complex philosophical, ethical, and technical issues. That aside, this topic draws us in to the nature of algorithms. We are surrounded by algorithms; much of the history of computing is also the history of the advance of algorithms. For the public, algorithms are part of computing's self-made mystery, but to understand their nature is an important part of computational thinking. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/Lm5IRxWk4AQ is an audio podcast of author Grady Booch reading his On Computing column, in which he introduces the complex philosophical, ethical, and technical issues associated with the idea that the mind can be understood as a computer.