Welcome to the Marshall McLuhan Lecture:
The Marshall McLuhan Lecture is held for the first time at the New School University, a fitting location given its media studies program’s inspiration from McLuhan’s teachings.

Co-hosting with the Canadian Consul General:
The Canadian Consul General, Michael Phillips, expresses delight in collaborating with the New School and organizing the lecture. This is the fourth year of the annual lecture, but the first time it is held with the New School.

Honoring Marshall McLuhan:
The McLuhan Lecture celebrates the intellectual heritage of the legendary Canadian media visionary. McLuhan’s ideas continue to influence the global village and stimulate thought among contemporary innovative thinkers.

Recent Reference to McLuhan’s Idea:
McLuhan’s idea that light is a pure communication medium was mentioned in a recent New York Times article discussing the tribute and light near the World Trade Center.

Gratitude to Dr. Kay and Terry McLuhan:
Consul General Phillips thanks Dr. Kay for agreeing to deliver the lecture, following in the footsteps of notable previous speakers. He also acknowledges Terry McLuhan, Marshall McLuhan’s daughter, for her presence and insights as a family member.

Not Your Normal Person:
Alan Kay’s pioneering spirit and vision shaped the computer revolution. At Xerox PARC, Kay dared to be different and pursued his idea of the personal computer.

The Dynabook:
Kay’s portable device concept, the Dynabook, featured a flat panel display and integrated applications. He envisioned a user-friendly interface that would make computers accessible to everyone.

Research with Children:
Kay emphasized the importance of involving children in research to create a usable interface. Kids’ low tolerance for boredom led to the development of engaging and intuitive designs.

Alan Kay’s Contributions:
Following his work at PARC, Kay held various positions at Atari, Apple Computer, and Disney. He continued to champion the potential of computers as a means to empower individuals.

McLuhan’s Influence:
Kay acknowledged Marshall McLuhan’s profound impact on his thinking. McLuhan’s concept of “the medium is the message” highlighted the influence of technology on society.

Understanding Media and Molecular Biology:
Kay’s early attempts to understand McLuhan’s book led him to explore molecular biology. He found parallels between the intricate mechanisms of cells and the potential of computers.

Complexity of Biological Systems:
Kay marveled at the complexity of biological systems, such as a single cell in the human body. He recognized the vast computational capacity of living organisms compared to early computers.

Evolution and the Renewal of Patterns:
Our bodies are continuously rebuilt, with all atoms being recycled every seven years. We persist as patterns, moving through space, consuming energy and matter, and leaving less organized matter behind.

The Expansion of Computing:
Computers have undergone a significant expansion, becoming smaller on the inside and larger on the outside. Innovations like computer graphics, personal computing, and the internet have transformed the field.

Gordon Moore’s Law and the Doubling of Technology:
Gordon Moore predicted the doubling of computing power every one to two years. This prediction has held true for 30-35 years, with a doubling period of approximately 18 months.

The ARPANET and the Internet:
The ARPANET, the precursor to the internet, was designed to have more than a billion nodes and never break. The internet has replaced all of its atoms and bits multiple times since its inception in 1969 without ever having to be stopped.

Biological Cells as Inspiration for Object-Oriented Programming:
Alan Kay developed object-oriented programming, where each software component resembles a biological cell. These cells can compute in parallel, be mapped onto a vast network, or reside within a single machine.

The Creation of the First Personal Computer:
Alan Kay’s first personal computer featured a tablet for drawing, multiple windows, a graphical user interface, and an object-oriented operating system.

Marshall McLuhan’s Influence on Understanding Context:
McLuhan’s work on understanding media emphasized the importance of context, which is often invisible to us. McLuhan’s quote, “The medium is the message,” highlights that the context in which something is presented influences how it is perceived.

Kessler’s Model of Creativity and the Kersplat Mechanism:
Kessler’s model compares human thought to an ant wandering on a plane. The ant may believe it’s making progress, but its actions are limited by the context (the plane). The Kersplat mechanism represents the rejection of ideas that are mediocre or bad, ensuring that only the best ideas survive.

Key Insights:
Alan Kay introduces the concept of “ker-paos”, which are sudden epiphanies or insights that often lead to new ideas and innovations. These insights can be triggered by various activities, such as waking up, jogging, or taking a shower. Ker-paos can be intense and emotionally charged, leading to feelings of awe, excitement, or laughter.

Dealing with Ker-paos:
Kay suggests using scientific methods to explore and validate new insights rather than relying solely on intuition or personal experience. He highlights the importance of considering different perspectives and contexts when evaluating new ideas, as they may not always be immediately apparent or easily understood.

Humor and Discovery:
Kay notes that scientists often laugh when they make discoveries, which he attributes to the realization that the universe was already in accord with their insight, rather than suddenly changing to accommodate it. This laughter reflects the excitement and joy of discovering something new and unexpected.

Art and Context:
Kay emphasizes the role of art, especially high art, in reminding us of alternative perspectives and contexts. Art can help us break out of our limited viewpoints and consider new possibilities.

Importance of Diverse Knowledge:
Kay stresses the value of having a wide range of knowledge, as it allows for the collision of different contexts and the generation of new ideas. He notes that learning about modern knowledge, particularly after 1600, often requires significant effort and dedication from the learner.

The Effort Required for Innovation:
Kay observes that the greater the invention or discovery, the more effort the learner must make to understand and appreciate it. This effort is necessary to escape from one’s current perspective and enter the “blue plane” of the new idea.

Alan Kay’s Dynabook Vision:
Alan Kay’s interaction with Seymour Papert and his work with children using Logo and turtles sparked the idea for the Dynabook, a children’s computer. Kay was inspired by the potential of computers to make learning more accessible and engaging, transcending the traditional barriers of algebra and bringing complex concepts to life as a toy.

Papert’s Turtle and Logo:
Papert’s approach involved having children act out movements with their bodies to create programs that controlled a turtle on the screen. This embodied approach enabled children as young as six to engage with concepts like differential geometry and vectors without the need for formal mathematical knowledge.

Moore’s Law and Technological Advancements:
Kay recognized the significance of Moore’s Law in predicting the feasibility of the Dynabook. Moore’s Law provided a framework for understanding the exponential growth of computing power and its implications for the future of technology.

The Dynabook as an Instrument of Ideas:
Kay envisioned the Dynabook as an instrument, similar to a musical instrument, that would allow children to explore and express ideas through programming. This concept resonated with Kay’s belief in the transformative power of technology to enhance creativity and imagination.

Printing Revolution and the Dynabook’s Timeline:
Kay drew parallels between the history of printing and the potential impact of the Dynabook. He anticipated a long gestation period before society fully embraced the transformative potential of the computer, similar to the time it took for printing to revolutionize thought and communication.

Concerns about Human Gullibility:
Kay expressed concerns about the ease with which humans can be fooled, especially in the context of technology. He emphasized the importance of considering the potential negative consequences of computing and the need for critical thinking and skepticism in the digital age.

Betty Everett’s Drawing Class:
Kay shared an anecdote from his friend Betty Everett, a drawing teacher, who highlighted the importance of observation and perception in learning to draw. Everett’s approach emphasized the role of sensory experience and embodied knowledge in understanding and expressing the world around us.

Seeing Things as They Are:
People have difficulty drawing objects because they perceive and label them too quickly, preventing them from truly observing them.

The Tabletop Illusion:
Alan Kay presents an example of two tables with identical shapes and sizes. People initially deny the similarity due to their perception of the tables as distinct objects. Kay demonstrates the identical shape by rotating one tabletop, revealing that they were created from a single shape.

The Pencil Test:
Artists use a simple technique to verify the identical shape of the tabletops: they hold a pencil straight and measure the edges.

The Talmud’s Insight:
The Talmud states, “We see things not as they are, but as we are.” This statement raises unsettling implications if taken to its logical conclusion.

Science’s View of the World:
Science acknowledges that our perception of the world is influenced by our own brains and experiences. This understanding is crucial for gaining knowledge and making accurate observations.

Science and Reality:
Science is not about absolute truth but rather a relationship between our representations and the phenomena we cannot directly access. Scientists create models that cast shadows resembling the real world, and criticized comparisons between these models and the real world yield knowledge.

Truth vs. Reality:
Truth is limited to what we can represent in language or mathematics, while reality is a distinct category. Science acknowledges its limitations in reaching absolute truth but still delivers practical benefits like diagnosing and treating diseases.

Sanity and Internal Representations:
Sanity involves aligning our internal representations of the world with reality, which is challenging for humans.

Mathematics and Science:
Math is a powerful tool for precise thinking but can be dangerous without the grounding of science. Rationalization and reasoning need the check of science to ensure their relevance to the real world.

Montessori’s Approach to Education:
Montessori emphasized learning through play, recognizing children’s natural inclination to learn in this manner. She designed toys intended to be playful yet have positive cognitive impacts on children’s common sense.

Education in the 21st Century:
Education should focus on teaching children uncommon sense and new epistemologies relevant to the contemporary world. Current education systems largely fail in this aspect, neglecting the teaching of these essential skills.

Alan Kay’s Perspective on Learning:
Alan Kay criticizes traditional schooling for emphasizing fact-based education without providing a solid foundation for understanding. He advocates for teachers to focus on creating contexts that encourage students to think and explore rather than merely lecturing and testing them.

Piaget’s Stages of Development:
Alan Kay discusses Piaget’s stages of development, highlighting the importance of kinesthetic, visual, and symbolic thinking. He emphasizes that children can possess multiple mentalities and transition between them depending on their experiences and environment.

Bruner’s Theory of Instruction:
Alan Kay highlights Jerry Bruner’s research, which demonstrated that children’s thinking can be influenced by their perception and manipulation of objects. Bruner’s work led to the slogan “Doing with Images Makes Symbols,” emphasizing the integration of kinesthetic, visual, and symbolic thinking in learning.

Xerox PARC’s Technological Innovations:
Alan Kay and his colleagues at Xerox PARC developed technologies based on their insights into child development. The overlapping window interface, for instance, was designed to facilitate children’s learning within a short period. Kay criticizes the commercialization of these technologies without regard for their underlying educational principles.

Children as the Future:
Alan Kay emphasizes that children are not simply recipients of messages from adults but are the future themselves. He stresses the importance of creating supportive and nurturing environments for children, as these environments shape their development and ultimately the future of society.

The Impact of Television on Education:
Alan Kay strongly criticizes television as a negative influence on higher level education. He compares it to a box of loaded guns or a liquor cabinet, arguing that parents should restrict children’s access to it. Kay acknowledges television’s effectiveness as a teacher but emphasizes its limitations and its tendency to create a separate world that children adapt to unknowingly.

Play as a Learning Tool:
Alan Kay concludes by discussing the importance of play as a learning tool. He believes that play allows children to explore their environment, develop their creativity, and learn through hands-on experiences. Kay advocates for creating environments that encourage children to play and learn actively.

Montessori’s Approach to Learning:
Montessori believed that education should be fun and playful, mirroring how artists, scientists, and mathematicians work. Traditional teaching methods often fail because they present learning as a catechism rather than a playful experience.

Child’s Perspective:
Children are naturally drawn to activities that allow them to learn and explore, like driving a car. Children’s interests and preferences should guide the learning process.

Math and Symbols:
Math is often perceived as cold and forbidding compared to the hands-on world children are familiar with. The goal is to gradually introduce children to the power of symbols and mathematical concepts.

Math Land:
Just like children are more interested in learning French when they visit France, creating a “math land” can make math more appealing. Children need an environment that encourages exploration and discovery in math.

Renaming and Properties:
Children are encouraged to rename mathematical properties and behaviors in a way that relates to their interests and experiences. This helps them connect abstract concepts to tangible objects and actions.

Creating Scripts and Simulations:
Children can create simple scripts and simulations using programming tools, allowing them to experiment with mathematical concepts in a dynamic and engaging way. This approach transforms abstract concepts into interactive experiences.

Steering Wheels and Real-World Connections:
Children are introduced to the concept of steering a car, which relates to the mathematical concept of angles and direction. Real-world scenarios and objects are used to make learning more relatable and meaningful.

Teaching Math with Understanding:
Alan Kay emphasizes the importance of teaching math with understanding rather than rote memorization. He believes that math should be taught in a way that allows children to see its practical applications and develop a deep understanding of its concepts.

Kids Learning from Kids:
Kay highlights the value of peer learning and collaboration among children. He demonstrates how children can help each other learn and solve problems through online interactions and shared projects.

Science as an Imagination Amplifier:
Kay views science as an essential tool for expanding our imagination and understanding the world around us. He advocates for teaching science as a means to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to anticipate and address potential disasters.

AIDS and Bubonic Plague:
Kay draws parallels between the AIDS epidemic and the bubonic plague, emphasizing the importance of understanding the long-term consequences of infectious diseases. He highlights the role of imagination and foresight in addressing global health challenges.

Education of Women:
Kay identifies the education of women as a key factor in solving many of the world’s problems, including population growth, AIDS, and access to drinkable water.

McLuhan’s Influence:
Kay acknowledges Marshall McLuhan’s profound influence on his thinking and emphasizes the importance of understanding the context in which problems arise.

Squeak Software:
Kay introduces Squeak, a free software program that embodies his educational philosophies and provides a platform for creative learning and exploration.

Bill Joy’s Essay:
Kay briefly addresses Bill Joy’s essay, “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us,” expressing skepticism about its overall message.

Training the Will and Imagination:
Kay clarifies that he does not advocate for training the will and imagination at the expense of the intellect. He emphasizes the need to change the heuristics used for dealing with incomplete knowledge in order to effectively train the intellect.

Common Misconceptions about Science:
Despite years of education, individuals often hold incorrect beliefs about basic scientific concepts, such as the seasons or phases of the moon. A study conducted at Harvard University revealed misconceptions among graduates, faculty, and alumni regarding the causes of the seasons and the Earth’s orbit. The study highlighted the tendency to rely on common sense and prior knowledge, even when it contradicts scientific understanding.

The Importance of Scientific Thinking:
The key to effective science education lies in fostering scientific thinking, which involves acknowledging uncertainty, exploring alternative explanations, and seeking evidence to support or refute hypotheses. Scientists possess the ability to answer questions in a manner that acknowledges the limits of knowledge, expresses willingness to learn, and employs logical reasoning. This approach contrasts with the tendency to rely on common sense, which often leads to incorrect conclusions.

Challenging Common Sense:
Many fundamental ideas that shape modern society, such as equal rights, are not ingrained in human nature but rather are learned and taught. Civilization is built upon hard-won inventions that go against natural human instincts, requiring individuals to think beyond common sense.

Early Encounters with Science:
Personal experiences can spark curiosity and lead to a deeper understanding of scientific concepts. Alan Kay’s encounter with a vacuum cleaner at a young age challenged his assumptions about how vacuums work, leading to a fascination with the properties of air molecules.

The Difficulty of Learning Science:
The initial stages of learning science can be challenging, as it requires individuals to confront misconceptions and embrace unfamiliar concepts that may contradict common sense. This initial hurdle can lead many individuals to revert to familiar ways of thinking, hindering their progress in understanding science.

The Power of Scientific Thinking:
Once individuals overcome the initial challenges of learning science, they gain access to a powerful tool for understanding the world around them. Scientific thinking enables individuals to solve problems efficiently, make informed decisions, and appreciate the complexities of the natural world.

Changing Children’s Common Sense:
Montessori believed that changing children’s common sense into the uncommon sense of the 20th and 21st centuries is the primary goal of education. This approach aims to provide children with a new context and different assumptions to work with, rather than explaining the context of what is being taught.

The World is Not As It Seems:
Frank Oppenheimer, director of the Exploratorium, emphasized that the world is not as it seems and aimed to create exhibits that challenge people’s assumptions about the world. The goal is to help people realize that there’s more to the world than what is immediately apparent.

Theatrical Production of the Mind:
The human mind presents the world back to itself as a theatrical production, making it easy to be fooled. People enjoy being fooled, which is why politicians have an easy time manipulating them.

Assessing Children’s Learning:
Children should be assessed based on their fluency and expression, similar to how child musicians are assessed. Understanding theory and language comes later, as children’s brains are not yet equipped for abstract concepts.

Changing the Common Sense:
The focus should be on changing children’s common sense rather than teaching them context or explaining what is being taught. This approach aims to provide children with a new context and different assumptions to work with.

Real Math and Mathematical Thinking:
The goal is for children to engage in real mathematical thinking, regardless of the specific math content. This involves creating toys and projects that require children to think in new ways, using mathematical language without explicitly teaching syntax or terminology.

Early Learning and Formal Education:
Alan Kay expressed his preference for kindergarten and graduate school, suggesting that formal education systems between those stages were not conducive to learning.

Learning to Read:
Kay emphasized the importance of learning to read fluently before starting school, which gave him an advantage in identifying inaccuracies in early education.

The Significance of Computers:
Kay saw computers as a powerful tool for reasoning and arguing, leading to new ways of knowing and learning.

Pervasive Computing and Long-Term Impact:
Kay believed that making computers pervasive would create an environment for pervasive learning, similar to the impact of the printing press.

McLuhan’s Influence:
Kay acknowledged the influence of Marshall McLuhan’s ideas, particularly the notion that the medium itself is the message.

Economic Contradictions:
The presentation included a discussion of the contradictions in economic messages, such as the Federal Reserve Chairman’s statements about the recession and prosperity.

TV’s Influence on Thinking:
TV shapes adult thinking and behavior, not just children’s. TV doesn’t directly dictate thoughts but limits exposure to alternative perspectives.

Medium as Message:
To receive a message through a medium like radio, both the sender and receiver must share a model or understanding of the medium’s operation.

Radio as an Example:
A radio receiver must synthesize the carrier wave to extract the audio signal.

Reading and Writing as Cognitive Shifts:
Becoming literate changes an individual’s cognitive abilities, differentiating them from oral societies.

Appreciation for the Prompt:
Alan Kay acknowledges the relevance of the prompt and expresses gratitude for the opportunity to present his thoughts.