Introducing Cogitology

I n t h e c o u r s e o f d i s c e r n i b l e h i s t o r y i t i s no t t oo d i f f i c u l t t o t r a c e a number o f e v e n t s when some d i s c o v e r i e s o r i n v e n t i o n s t e c h n i c a l by t h e i r n a t u r e had an o v e r a l l and profound impac t upon t h e human s o c i e t y i n . g e n e r a l . P r o b a b l y , t h e most v i v i d example o f such e v e n t s i s t h e i n v e n t i o n o f w r i t i n g . An e v e n t e q u a l i n scope and s i g n i f i c a n c e has t o be c o n f r o n t e d by us t o d a y . I t i s t h e making o f t h e compute r . Apprehens ion no t o n l y o f t h e t e c h n i c a l , but a l s o o f t h e social significance of its appearance was first expressed in 1950 when the classical work of Alan Turing Computing Machinery and Intelli~enoe came out. However, it is only at the present moment that we have come close to being able to a p p r e c i a t e t h i s even t a d e q u a t e l y and t o a c t u a l l y r e a l i z e t h e p e r s p e c t i v e s i t has opened. Now we have a l l t h e grounds t o s t a t e t h a t w i t h t h e a r r i v a l o f the computer and w i t h l c r e a t i n g t h e programs which e n s u r e i t s f u n c t i o n i n g , we move f rom t h e epoch o f p ~ v s i o a l l y o p e r a t i n g machines i n t o t he epoch o f machines o p e r a t i n g i n t e l l i g e n t l y . T r a c i n g t h e ways o f d e v e lolxnent o f p h y s i c a l l y o p e r a t i n g machines may p r o v i d e us w i t h t h e knowledge which w i l l become h e l p f u l f o r t h e c o n c e p t i o n o f what i s t o be expec t ed i n t h e develol~nent o f i n t e l l i g e n t l y o p e r a t i n g machines and even f o r t h e p u r p o s e f u l d i r e c t i o n o f th;La prooees~ The a f o r e s a i d may be r e g a r d e d as t h e g e n e r s l i n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e problem= u n d ~ d i s c u s s i o n a t t h e p r e s e n t o o n f e r e n -