“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
– Carl Sagan
Currently I am reading a book that discusses the said dilemma among many other important aspects linked to human decision making. The title is ‘Algorithms to live by’. Personally, I found the content – presented by the authors Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths – very interesting as well as relatable.
The central theme is about the utility of computer science concepts for dealing with the problems faced during our day-to-day life, including career. To explain applications of algorithms, simple real-life examples are discussed throughout the book such as selecting a new property, securing a parking space, choosing between a favourite restaurant and a new one, arranging things at home or office, filling the closets, and so on.
For example, one chapter helped me to get an idea of how ‘Caching’ is associated with highly sophisticated systems like ‘Anticipatory Shipping’ (patented by Amazon). I am getting to know how modern computers perform the tasks involving constraints such as partial information, finite resources, and trade-offs between time and accuracy. It’s not just a rigid process involving enormous permutations and finding an exact answer.
The book enables us to see clearly that the predicaments faced by computers are just like those faced by the human mind. It helps us recognize how good we are at solving the problems; simultaneously, it lets us know the errors that we make by mixing rationality and intuition. The content is heavy with a lot of insights that draw from multiple knowledge disciplines.
The algorithm is a way of thinking with a long history in human life much before the advent of computers. It may be unable to solve a few challenges yet. Humans will keep on grappling with questions that will remain as unresolved. We can treat the set of innovative concepts discussed in the said book as another addition to our toolkit. Ultimately, as the adage goes, we may not need the perfect solution if we can find the best probable one.
iluvorchid 