Abstract for Dasgupta

Herbert Simon (1916-2001) died on February 9, 2001.  Political scientist, administrative theorist, economist (Nobel Laureate 1978), computer scientist, cognitive psychologist, pioneer of artificial intelligence, and philosopher of science, Simon's professional life stretched over sixty four years.  His retirement from the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University, where he has worked since 1949, only came with his death.

Since November 1999, I have been working on an intellectual history of his many-chambered mind.  It has been an extraordinary experience for me, for I have been fortunate to be able to entwine archival research conducted in the Herbert Simon Collection at CMU's Archives with 'oral history' -- through extensive conversations with Simon and even more extensive email correspondence.

This talk will present a preliminary account of the outcome of my ongoing research.  It will be, I suppose, an intellectual obituary.