Seymour Aubrey Papert (; 29 February 1928 – 31 July 2016) was a South African-born American mathematician,
computer scientist
A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science.
Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (a ...
, and
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at
MIT.
He was one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...
, and of the constructionist movement in education. He was co-inventor, with Wally Feurzeig
Wallace "Wally" Feurzeig (June 10, 1927 – January 4, 2013) was an American computer scientist who was co-inventor, with Seymour Papert and Cynthia Solomon, of the programming language Logo, and a well-known researcher in artificial intellig ...
and Cynthia Solomon
Cynthia Solomon is an American computer scientist known for her work in artificial intelligence (AI) and popularizing computer science for students. She is a pioneer in the fields of artificial intelligence, computer science, and educational c ...
, of the Logo programming language
Logo is an educational programming language, designed in 1967 by Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert, and Cynthia Solomon. ''Logo'' is not an acronym: the name was coined by Feurzeig while he was at Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and derives from the Gree ...
.
Early years and education
Born to a Jewish family,[Remembering Seymour Papert: Revolutionary Socialist and Father of A.I.](_blank)
Benjamin Ivry, 3 August 2016 Papert attended the University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...
, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1949 followed by a PhD in mathematics in 1952. He then went on to receive a second doctorate,[ also in mathematics, at the ]University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
(1959),[ ] supervised by Frank Smithies
Frank Smithies FRSE (1912–2002) was a British mathematician who worked on integral equations, functional analysis, and the history of mathematics.
He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1961.
He was an alumnus and an ...
.[Papert, Seymour A. in ''American Men and Women of Science'', R.R. Bowker. (1998–99, 20th ed). p. 1056.]
Career
Papert worked as a researcher in a variety of places, including St. John's College, Cambridge, the Henri Poincaré Institute
Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry.
People with this given name
; French noblemen
:'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.''
* Henri I de Mon ...
at the University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
, the University of Geneva
The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...
, and the National Physical Laboratory in London before becoming a research associate at MIT in 1963. He held this position until 1967, when he became professor of applied math and was made co-director of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory by its founding director Professor Marvin Minsky
Marvin Lee Minsky (August 9, 1927 – January 24, 2016) was an American cognitive and computer scientist concerned largely with research of artificial intelligence (AI), co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AI laboratory ...
, until 1981; he also served as Cecil and Ida Green professor of education at MIT from 1974 to 1981.
Research
Papert worked on learning theories
Learning theory describes how students receive, process, and retain knowledge during learning. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or ...
, and was known for focusing on the impact of new technologies on learning in general, and in schools as learning organizations in particular.
Constructionism
At MIT, Papert went on to create the Epistemology
Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics.
Epi ...
and Learning Research Group at the MIT Architecture Machine Group which later became the MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, growing out of MIT's Architecture Machine Group in the School of Architecture. Its research does not restrict to fixed academic disciplines, but draws from ...
. Here, he was the developer of a theory on learning called constructionism, built upon the work of Jean Piaget
Jean William Fritz Piaget (, , ; 9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemolo ...
in constructivist learning theories. Papert had worked with Piaget at the University of Geneva from 1958 to 1963 and was one of Piaget's protégés; Piaget himself once said that "no one understands my ideas as well as Papert". Papert has rethought how schools should work, based on these theories of learning.
Logo
Papert used Piaget's work in his development of the Logo programming language
Logo is an educational programming language, designed in 1967 by Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert, and Cynthia Solomon. ''Logo'' is not an acronym: the name was coined by Feurzeig while he was at Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and derives from the Gree ...
while at MIT. He created Logo as a tool to improve the way children think and solve problems. A small mobile robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be ...
called the " Logo Turtle" was developed, and children were shown how to use it to solve simple problems in an environment of play. A main purpose of the Logo Foundation research group is to strengthen the ability to learn
Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, and some machines; there is also evidence for some kind of l ...
knowledge
Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distin ...
. Papert insisted a simple language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
or program
Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program management, the process of managing several related projects
* Time management
* Program, a part of planning
Arts and entertainment Audio
* Programm ...
that children can learn—like Logo—can also have advanced functionality for expert users.[
]
Other work
As part of his work with technology, Papert has been a proponent of the Knowledge Machine
The Knowledge Machine is a concept of Seymour Papert, which is intended to enable children to explore any situation and engage them completely. Although Papert never clearly defined the Knowledge Machine, one interpretation is a virtual reality ...
. He was one of the principals for the One Laptop Per Child initiative to manufacture and distribute The Children's Machine in developing nations.
Papert also collaborated with the construction toy manufacturer Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocki ...
on their Logo-programmable Lego Mindstorms
Lego Mindstorms is a hardware and software structure which develops programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. Each version includes computer Lego bricks, a set of modular sensors and motors, and Lego parts from the Technic line to ...
robotics kits, which were named after his groundbreaking 1980 book.
A curated archive of Papert's articles, speeches, and interviews may be found a
The Daily Papert
Personal life
Papert became a political and anti-apartheid activist early in his life in South Africa. He subsequently chose self exile. He was a leading figure in the revolutionary socialist circle around ''Socialist Review
The ''Socialist Review'' is a monthly magazine of the British Socialist Workers Party. As well as being printed it is also published online.
Original publication: 1950–1962
The ''Socialist Review'' was set up in 1950 as the main publication o ...
'' while living in London in the 1950s. Papert was also a prominent activist against South African apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
policies during his university education.
Papert was married to Dona Strauss
Dona Anschel Papert Strauss (born April 1934) is a South African mathematician working in topology and functional analysis. Her doctoral thesis was one of the initial sources of pointless topology. She has also been active in the political le ...
, and later to Androula Christofides Henriques.
Papert's third wife was MIT professor Sherry Turkle
Sherry Turkle (born June 18, 1948) is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She obtained an BA in social studies and later a PhD in sociology and perso ...
, and together they wrote the influential paper "Epistemological Pluralism and the Revaluation of the Concrete".
In his final 24 years, Papert was married to Suzanne Massie
Suzanne Massie (née Rohrbach; born January 8, 1931) is an American scholar of Russian history who played an important role in the relations between Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Union in the final years of the Cold War.
In mid-May 2021, she a ...
, who is a Russian scholar and author of ''Pavlovsk: The Life of a Russian Palace'' and ''Land of the Firebird''.
Accident in Hanoi
Papert (then aged 78), received a serious brain injury
An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue caused by immediate physical stress. An injury can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, or o ...
when struck by a motor scooter
A scooter (motor scooter) is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, and a platform for the rider's feet, emphasizing comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycle ...
on 5 December 2006 while crossing the street with colleague Uri Wilensky when they were both attending the 17th International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) Study conference in Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
, Vietnam. He underwent emergency surgery
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...
to remove a blood clot
A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of cr ...
at the French Hospital of Hanoi before being transferred in a complex operation by Swiss Air Ambulanc
(REGA
Bombardier Challenger Jet to Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts. He was moved to a hospital closer to his home in January 2007, but then developed sepsis
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
which damaged a heart valve, which was later replaced.
By 2008 he had returned home, could think and communicate clearly and walk "almost unaided", but still had "some complicated speech problems" and was in receipt of extensive rehabilitation support. His rehabilitation team used some of the very principles of experiential, hands-on learning that he had pioneered.
Papert died at his home in Blue Hill, Maine, on 31 July 2016.
Awards, honours, and legacy
Papert's work has been used by other researchers in the fields of education and computer science. He influenced the work of Uri Wilensky in the design of NetLogo
NetLogo is a programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) for agent-based modeling.
About
NetLogo was designed by Uri Wilensky, in the spirit of the programming language Logo, to be "low threshold and no ceiling". It tea ...
and collaborated with him on the study of knowledge restructurations, as well as the work of Andrea diSessa and the development of "dynaturtles". In 1981, Papert along with several others in the Logo group at MIT, started Logo Computer Systems Inc. (LCSI), of which he was board chair for over 20 years. Working with LCSI, Papert designed a number of award-winning programs, including LogoWriter and Lego/Logo (marketed as Lego Mindstorms
Lego Mindstorms is a hardware and software structure which develops programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. Each version includes computer Lego bricks, a set of modular sensors and motors, and Lego parts from the Technic line to ...
). He also influenced the research of Idit Harel Caperton
Idit R. Harel (born Idit Ron; September 18, 1958) is an Israeli-American entrepreneur and CEO of Globaloria. She is a learning sciences researcher and pioneer of Constructionist learning-based EdTech interventions.
Overview
Harel researches a ...
, coauthoring articles and the book ''Constructionism'', and chairing the advisory board of the company MaMaMedia
MaMaMedia was an educational consulting firm run by Idit Harel Caperton, specializing in applications of constructionist learning
Constructionist learning is the creation by learners of mental models to understand the world around them. Const ...
. He also influenced Alan Kay
Alan Curtis Kay (born May 17, 1940) published by the Association for Computing Machinery 2012 is an American computer scientist best known for his pioneering work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface (GUI) d ...
and the Dynabook concept, and worked with Kay on various projects.
Papert won a Guggenheim fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...
in 1980, a Marconi International fellowship in 1981, the Software Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Smithsonian Award The ''Computerworld'' Smithsonian Award is given out annually to individuals who have used technology to produce beneficial changes for society. Nominees are proposed by a group of 100 CEOs of information technology companies. The award has been giv ...
from ''Computerworld'' in 1997. Papert has been called by Marvin Minsky
Marvin Lee Minsky (August 9, 1927 – January 24, 2016) was an American cognitive and computer scientist concerned largely with research of artificial intelligence (AI), co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AI laboratory ...
"the greatest living mathematics educator".
MIT President L. Rafael Reif summarized Papert's lifetime of accomplishments: "With a mind of extraordinary range and creativity, Seymour Papert helped revolutionize at least three fields, from the study of how children make sense of the world, to the development of artificial intelligence, to the rich intersection of technology and learning. The stamp he left on MIT is profound. Today, as MIT continues to expand its reach and deepen its work in digital learning, I am particularly grateful for Seymour's groundbreaking vision, and we hope to build on his ideas to open doors to learners of all ages, around the world."[''Conférence vidéo'', colloque EIAH 2003 '']
In 2016 Papert's alma mater, University of Witwatersrand, awarded him the degree of "Doctor of Science in Engineering, ''honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
''"
See also
References
Selected bibliography
* ''Counter-free automata'', 1971,
* '' Perceptrons (book), Perceptrons'', (with Marvin Minsky), MIT Press, 1969 (Enlarged edition, 1988),
* '' Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas'', 1980,
* Papert, S. & Harel, I. (eds). (1991) ''Constructionism: research reports and essays 1985–1990'' by the Epistemology and Learning Research Group, the Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ablex Pub. Corp, Norwood, NJ.
* ''The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer'', 1993,
* ''The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap'', 1996,
External links
Seymour Papert Print Archives
a
The Daily Papert
* Seymour Paper
Audio & Video Archives
at The Daily Papert
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papert, Seymour
1928 births
2016 deaths
Artificial intelligence researchers
Cognitive psychologists
Computer science educators
History of artificial intelligence
Lisp (programming language) people
Mathematics educators
People with traumatic brain injuries
Programming language designers
Socialist Workers Party (UK) members
South African computer scientists
South African educational theorists
South African mathematicians
South African Jews
20th-century American Jews
American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
University of Geneva alumni
Jewish South African anti-apartheid activists
MIT Media Lab people
20th-century South African mathematicians
21st-century South African mathematicians
White South African anti-apartheid activists
21st-century American Jews