The Computer--Hero or Villain?

Martin Greenberger

Expert InsightsPublished 1967

The computer has been praised as a boon to civilization and damned as a despoiler of humanistic values; assessments of its capabilities range from "electronic brain" to "glorified slide rule." Today, reality lies a little left of center. Although the computer does not yet participate directly in the education process, it has the potential to provide a mass of data, such as performance statistics, that if properly interpreted cannot but improve the instructional system. Prolific computers as well as prolific authors have been blamed for the information explosion, an explosion that may soon be settled by a computerized information system. Such a system would be as indispensable to the research worker as the library is today. Whether the computer becomes a hero will be determined by the intelligence man displays in its use. 16 pp. Ref.

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Greenberger, Martin, The Computer--Hero or Villain? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1967. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P3656.html.
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