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resources | kahn, 1995

Kahn, P. (1995). Presentation at As We May Think -- A Celebration of Vannevar Bush's 1945 Vision, An Examination of What Has Been Accomplished, and What Remains to Be Done [Video]. (Kahn, 1995)

Analytical Machines [Transcription of Video]

Kahn: This clip was from the MIT Science Reporter in 1964. You will see John Fitch, from the MIT Science Reporter, at the beginning. This is the only place where we have found in the record that Bush publicly talks about anything that you might imagine was related to Memex. Other than the printed articles, no one ever asked him about this. No one ever interviewed him, and certainly, in any of the TV interviews that were done later, everyone was very concerned about what he thought of the atomic bomb. Memex was never brought up. This at least comes close:
 
[Video tape begins]
 
Bush: The relations and resemblances between the brains operations and the operations of a modern analytical machines is a fascinating aspect of it.
 
Fitch: Speaking of analytical machines. That is something you pioneered in. What do you think about the present day computer and perhaps it role in our future?
 
Bush: Well, you saw a moment ago that there is so much happening in the world that it would probably be impossible to understand it or keep up with it. Well, that would be true if it wasn't for the fact that we have far better means for understanding than we used to have. Far better media of communication, far better way of presenting things, including the little job that you and I are doing I hope. But as time goes on, the analytical machine which will supplement a mans thinking methods, which will think for him, will have as great an affect on his grasp of the world, and his access to data and so on, his manipulation of it, will have as great an effect in that way as the invention of the machine way back took the load off of man by giving them mechanical power instead of the power of their muscles.
 
Fitch: Do you see no dangers in the increasing reliance on the machine to think for us?
 
Bush: No, I don't see any. Once in awhile, someone, who likes to write for spectacular purposes, will write about a race of self-reproducing machines that will take over civilization and banish humanity -- like the old Frankenstein story. Well, we still believe in fairy tales. They are amusing, but that's all."
© Mary E. Hopper [MEHopper] | MEHopper@TheWorld.com [posted 01/01/01 | revised 02/02/02]