Garry Kasparov vs. Deep Blue

[DonRocks]

"Exploring The Epic Chess Match Of Our Time" on fivethirtyeight.com

I dispute the Coronation of Machines in Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov.

A computer "out-thinking" Man? Why do you suppose man invented the computer?

Deep Blue didn't "out-think" Garry Kasparov any more than a bulldozer could "out-muscle" the strongest man on earth (a bulldozer has no muscle), or a computer could calculate Pi to 5 billion digits without a blink and claim a superior mind (a computer has no mind). The fact that these machines can do these things is the triumph of Man.

Attention, world: Do you want to prove computer superiority over Man? Write Beethoven's 10th Symphony, or Shakespeare's next play, and call me when you're done. I've *always* contended that artists are more precious than mathematicians because sooner or later, another Einstein would have been born - someone who would come to terms with relativity; but there will never, ever be another Chopin, and there will never be a 5th Ballade written no matter how many computers we build. Art is not more important than science, but it's more urgent, and much more special precisely because of the humanity that's required to produce it.

Cheers,

Rocks

PS - This is no different than someone digging a ditch faster with a shovel than with their bare hands, and it takes nothing away from Kasparov - you'd be wise never to forget that.