Marvin Minsky is truly one of the pioneers of the computer age. Minsky believes that a well-structured problem is one in which we are given some systematic way to decide when a proposed solution is acceptable. For example, chess playing and solving math problems are well-structured because they culminate in an unequivocal result: arriving at checkmate or the mathematically correct answer. Most problems educators face are not well-structured. Similarly, many real life problems are ill-structured.

In addition to being a leader in artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and network theory, Minsky has brought his highly mathematical insights to bear on the "common sense" questions of the computer age. He is concerned with how ill-structured problems are addressed by both man and machine (and sometimes aliens) and with the fallacy that current computers think like people. He is given credit for building the first LOGO turtle, and with the computer language LISP.

In "The Society of Mind", Minsky proposed a radical rethinking of learning, memory, language, concept formation, and thiinking as well. He discussed meta-level aspects of the thought process, such as administrative structures which support brain functions related to thought.

Publications

"Neural Nets and the Brain Model Problem," Ph.D. dissertation, Princeton University, 1954. The first publication of theories and theorems about learning in neural networks, secondary reinforcement, circulating dynamic storage and synaptic modifications.

"Computation: Finite and Infinite Machines", Prentice-Hall, 1967. A standard text in Computer Science.

"Semantic Information Processing," MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1968. This collection had a strong influence on modern computational linguistics.

"Perceptrons," (with S. Papert), MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1969, (Enlarged edition, 1988.) Developed the modern theory of computational geometry and established fundamental limitations of loop-free connectionist learning machines.

"Artificial Intelligence," with Seymour Papert, Univ. of Oregon Press, 1972.

"Robotics," Doubleday, 1986. Edited collection of essays about robotics, with Introduction and Postscript.

"The Society of Mind," Simon and Schuster, New York, 1987.

"The Turing Option" with Harry Harrison, Warner, 1992. A techno-thriller about intelligent machines in the early 21st century.