Computer Power and Human Reason
Computer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaumby Joseph Weizenbaum
Shares rank 91 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People recommend it as a still-relevant critique of AI and computing, with lessons that many readers find eye-opening when read today.
People recommend it as a still-relevant critique of AI and computing, with lessons that many readers find eye-opening when read today.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
AI critiques still hold up
“The critiques of AI laid out it Computer power and human reason are mostly still valid.”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “ChatGPT now knows what you do on other websites via ad collector” Eye-opening to read today
“Reading Weizenbaum today is eye opening”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “The Future of Software Development Is Software Developers” Many powerful lessons inside
“many powerful lessons in there”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “The Future of Everything Is Lies, I Guess: Culture”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Computer Power and Human Reasonby Joseph WeizenbaumThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The critiques of AI laid out it Computer power and human reason are mostly still valid.”
“many powerful lessons in there”
“Reading Weizenbaum today is eye opening”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.