Book description
The Closed World offers a radically new alternative to the canonical histories of computers and cognitive science. Arguing that we can make sense of computers as tools only when we simultaneously grasp their roles as metaphors and political icons, Paul Edwards shows how Cold War social and cultural contexts shapedā¦
Why read it?
1 author picked The Closed World as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Edwards revealed how the very architecture of early computers owed a debt to the political structures of the Cold War. The innovation of a command/control/information infrastructure set the template for military regimentation, and subsequently for the surveillance society we currently inhabit. The story of how cyberneticsāa field that never quite made the grade as pure scienceānevertheless conquered the culture, is fascinating.
From Philip's list on the politics of science.
If you love The Closed World...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancĆ©, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Heddaā¦
Want books like The Closed World?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Closed World.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,340
readers submitted
so far, will you?
š If you like The Closed World, you might also like...
Foxfire in the Snow
It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.
Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin canāt quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with theā¦
The Main Gate
Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the pastāuntil the past refuses to stay buried.
Hired to join Earthās first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her beā¦
