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His main contributions have been in [[cryptography]], [[random sequence]]s, [[artificial intelligence]], and [[information theory]]. He is the originator of the first test of algorithmic randomness,<ref>Terry Ritter, Randomness tests.[http://www.ciphersbyritter.com/RES/RANDTEST.HTM#Kak71]</ref> and of instantaneously trained neural networks (INNs) (also called [[Kak neural network]]s). He was amongst the first to apply information metrics to quantum systems.<ref>S. Kak, On quantum numbers and uncertainty. Nuovo Cimento, 34B, 530-534, 1976.</ref>
His main contributions have been in [[cryptography]], [[random sequence]]s, [[artificial intelligence]], and [[information theory]]. He is the originator of the first test of algorithmic randomness,<ref>Terry Ritter, Randomness tests.[http://www.ciphersbyritter.com/RES/RANDTEST.HTM#Kak71]</ref> and of instantaneously trained neural networks (INNs) (also called [[Kak neural network]]s). He was amongst the first to apply information metrics to quantum systems.<ref>S. Kak, On quantum numbers and uncertainty. Nuovo Cimento, 34B, 530-534, 1976.</ref>


His [[archaeoastronomy|archaeoastronomical]] claims in his ''[[The Astronomical Code of the Rigveda]]'' (1994) are to the effect of vastly extending the [[Vedic period]], postulating the arrival of ethnic Indo-Aryans to the 7th millennium BC, which has earned the book scathing reviews by Indologists<ref>Michael Witzel, "Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts,"
His claims concerning the astronomy of the [[Vedic Civilization|Vedic]] period in his book ''The Astronomical Code of the [[Rig-Veda|Rgveda]]'' (1994) challenged academic views related to the [[Aryan invasion theory]] and the nature of early Indian science. Kak's chronology and his astronomical calculations were criticized by some Indologists<ref>Michael Witzel, "Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts,"
[http://www1.shore.net/~india/ejvs/ejvs0703/ejvs0703d.txt ''Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies,'' Vol. 7 (2001) issue 3 (May), §28]</ref> and historians of science <ref>Kim Plofker, Review of Kak (1994), ''Centaurus'' 38 (1996), 362-364.[http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010&L=indology&D=0&P=35607][http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010&L=indology&D=0&P=35709]</ref> alike.
[http://www1.shore.net/~india/ejvs/ejvs0703/ejvs0703d.txt ''Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies,'' Vol. 7 (2001) issue 3 (May), §28]</ref> and historians of science.<ref>Kim Plofker, Review of Kak (1994), ''Centaurus'' 38 (1996), 362-364.[http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010&L=indology&D=0&P=35607][http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010&L=indology&D=0&P=35709]</ref> On the other hand, this work was hailed by other Indologists such as [[Klaus Klostermaier]] who called it an "epoch-making discovery."<ref>Klostermaier's remarks on the frontspiece of "The Astronomical Code of the Rgveda," Munshiram Manoharlal, 2000.</ref> Kak's interpretation has been highlighted in the recent overviews of astronomy in the Vedic period in India<ref>In [[Govind Chandra Pande]], "The Dawn of Indian Civilization". CSC, New Delhi, 2000.</ref> and the West.<ref>e.g. S. Kak, "Birth and early development of Indian astronomy." In ''Astronomy Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy'', Helaine Selin (ed), Kluwer, 2000, pp. 303-340.[http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0101063]</ref><ref>In S. Wolpert (ed.), "Encyclopedia of India." Scribner's, 2005.</ref>


His co-authored ''[[In Search of the Cradle of Civilization]]'' (1995) led to an intensification of the polemics on the origins of Indian culture and supported the [[Out of India theory]].<ref>[[Edwin Bryant]], [[The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture]]: The Indo-Aryan Migration Debate. Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref>
His co-authored ''[[In Search of the Cradle of Civilization]]'' (1995) led to an intensification of the polemics on the origins of Indian culture and supported the [[Out of India theory]].<ref>[[Edwin Bryant]], [[The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture]]: The Indo-Aryan Migration Debate. Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref>


==Philosophy of science and reality==
==Philosophy of science and reality==

Revision as of 04:13, 15 February 2007

Subhash Kak (Hindi: सुभाष काक Subhāṣ Kāk) (born March 26, 1947, Srinagar, Kashmir) is an Indian-American computer scientist, author and poet. He is best known for his contributions to cryptography, quantum information processing, and for history and philosophy of science. He has also researched ancient astronomy and mathematics and written about it in popular articles and books.

Professional career

Subhash Kak completed his Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1970. He taught there and also at Imperial College London, Bell Laboratories, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). He is currently Delaune Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Professor in the Asian Studies and Cognitive Science Programs at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, which he has been since 1979.

His main contributions have been in cryptography, random sequences, artificial intelligence, and information theory. He is the originator of the first test of algorithmic randomness,[1] and of instantaneously trained neural networks (INNs) (also called Kak neural networks). He was amongst the first to apply information metrics to quantum systems.[2]

His claims concerning the astronomy of the Vedic period in his book The Astronomical Code of the Rgveda (1994) challenged academic views related to the Aryan invasion theory and the nature of early Indian science. Kak's chronology and his astronomical calculations were criticized by some Indologists[3] and historians of science.[4] On the other hand, this work was hailed by other Indologists such as Klaus Klostermaier who called it an "epoch-making discovery."[5] Kak's interpretation has been highlighted in the recent overviews of astronomy in the Vedic period in India[6] and the West.[7][8]

His co-authored In Search of the Cradle of Civilization (1995) led to an intensification of the polemics on the origins of Indian culture and supported the Out of India theory.[9]

Philosophy of science and reality

Kak was perhaps the first to use the term quantum neural computing,[10] suggesting that cognitive processes could have a quantum basis at higher level of abstraction even though neurons themselves may not be modeled as quantum systems. Kak maintains that a fundamental subject-object dichotomy makes it possible for science only to deal with objects and not with the perceiving subject and, therefore, it is impossible to create a formal science of consciousness. Since the mind can make models of the outer reality, which, at its deepest level, is quantum mechanical, he argues that the mind must have a quantum mechanical basis. But his view of how the brain works is different from other quantum approaches to it. He sees the brain as a machine that reduces the infinite possibilities of a quantum-like universal consciousness, which is a consequence of the recursive nature of reality.[11] The mind can only operate sequentially while reality is simultaneous across countless dimensions, suggesting that such a reduction from a universal consciousness may explain the amazing feats of savants and creative people.

His ideas on mind and consciousness are scattered in a variety of writings. The most accessible sources for his philosophy of recursionism are his books The Gods Within, The Architecture of Knowledge, the cryptic The Prajna Sutra, and his numerous journal and encyclopedia articles.

Limits to AI

Kak has argued that there are limits to the intelligence machines can have and it cannot equal biological intelligence. [12] He asserts that

machines fall short on two counts as compared to brains. Firstly, unlike brains, machines do not self-organize in a recursive manner. Secondly, machines are based on classical logic, whereas Nature's intelligence may depend on quantum mechanics.
[C]ognitive ability is holistic and irreducible to a mechanistic computing algorithm. Viewed differently, each agent is an apparatus that taps into the "universal field of consciousness." On the other hand, AI machines based on classical computing principles have a fixed universe of discourse so they are unable to adapt in a flexible manner to a changing universe. This is why they cannot match biological intelligence.
[Further], if machines with consciousness are created, they would be living machines, that is, variations on life forms as we know them. Second, the material world is not causally closed, and consciousness influences its evolution. Matter and minds complement each other.[13]

He also claims that Alan Turing’s yes-no test for AI is based on flawed reasoning, arguing that it should be possible to define several levels of intelligence.[14]

Books

Non-fiction

Poetry

  • The Conductor of the Dead (1974)
  • The London Bridge (1977)
  • The Secrets of Ishbar (1996)
  • Ek Taal, Ek Darpan (1999)
  • The secrets of Ishbar: Poems on Kashmir and other landscapes, Vitasta (1996) ISBN 81-86588-02-7

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Terry Ritter, Randomness tests.[1]
  2. ^ S. Kak, On quantum numbers and uncertainty. Nuovo Cimento, 34B, 530-534, 1976.
  3. ^ Michael Witzel, "Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts," Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies, Vol. 7 (2001) issue 3 (May), §28
  4. ^ Kim Plofker, Review of Kak (1994), Centaurus 38 (1996), 362-364.[2][3]
  5. ^ Klostermaier's remarks on the frontspiece of "The Astronomical Code of the Rgveda," Munshiram Manoharlal, 2000.
  6. ^ In Govind Chandra Pande, "The Dawn of Indian Civilization". CSC, New Delhi, 2000.
  7. ^ e.g. S. Kak, "Birth and early development of Indian astronomy." In Astronomy Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy, Helaine Selin (ed), Kluwer, 2000, pp. 303-340.[4]
  8. ^ In S. Wolpert (ed.), "Encyclopedia of India." Scribner's, 2005.
  9. ^ Edwin Bryant, The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture: The Indo-Aryan Migration Debate. Oxford University Press, 2001.
  10. ^ In Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics, vol. 94, pp. 259-313, 1995
  11. ^ Karl H. Pribram and Robert King (eds.), Learning and Self-Organization, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1996, 185-219.
  12. ^ S. Kak, Active agents, intelligence and quantum computing. Information Sciences, vol. 128, 1-17, 2000.
  13. ^ S. Kak, Artificial and biological intelligence. ACM Ubiquity Volume 6, Issue 42, 2005.[5]
  14. ^ S. Kak, Can we define levels of artificial intelligence? Journal of Intelligent Systems, vol. 6, 133-144, 1996.

External links

Essays

Interviews

General

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