I. J. Good Quotes

United Kingdom, Mathematician
December 9, 1916 – April, 5, 2009.

Irving John Good was a British mathematician who worked as a cryptologist at Bletchley Park with Alan Turing. After the Second World War, Good continued to work with Turing on the design of computers and Bayesian statistics at the University of Manchester. Good moved to the United States where he was professor at Virginia Tech.

When discussing complex systems like brains and other societies, it is easy to oversimplify: I call this Occam's lobotomy.

I. J. Good
The minimum I. Q. necessary for one to grasp the concepts of Statistics required for the undergraduate degree is 120.

I. J. Good

The subjectivist states his judgements, whereas the objectivist sweeps them under the carpet by calling assumptions knowledge, and he basks in the glorious objectivity of science.

I. J. Good
- Science
- Knowledge
Let an ultraintelligent machine be defined as a machine that can far surpass all the intellectual activities of any man however clever. Since the design of machines is one of these intellectual activities, an ultraintelligent machine could design even better machines; there would then unquestionably be an 'intelligence explosion,' and the intelligence of man would be left far behind. Thus the first ultraintelligent machine is the last invention that man need ever make.

I. J. Good
- Men
- Design
- Clever
The older we become, the more important it is to use what we know rather

I. J. Good
- Important
There may be occasions when it is best to behave irrationally, but whether there are should be decided rationally.

I. J. Good
- May