❝By 'augmenting human intellect'
we mean
increasing the capability of a man to approach a complex problem situation, to gain comprehension to suit his particular needs, and to derive solutions to problems.
Increased capability in this respect is taken to mean a mixture of the following:
more-rapid comprehension,better comprehension, the possibility of gaining a useful degree of comprehension in a situation that previously was too complex,
speedier solutions,better solutions, and the possibility of finding solutions to problems that before
seemed insoluble.❞
— Doug Engelbart, in his Introduction to Augmenting Human Intellect
❝Engelbart did not think of the computer as merely improving human thinking,
but as transforming the processes of our institutions
in a more profound way...❞
— Janet H. Murray, on
Inventing the Medium in
New Media Reader
❝Doug thought at scale. He understood that a car is not simply a faster tricycle. He had faith that an augmented intellect, joined to millions of other augmented intellects, could clarify individual thought even as it empowered vast new modes of thinking, new modes of complex understanding that could grasp intricately meaningful symbols as quickly and comprehensively as we can recognize a loved one's face.❞
— Gardner Campbell, Dreams About How The World Could Be
Welcome to our 'field guide' to Doug Engelbart's most seminal work. It all started with a vision for humanity and a comprehensive two-year study of what he came to call 'Augmenting the Human Intellect: A Conceptual Framework', culminating in a comprehensive research report, an article distilling his findings for the public, and a concise summary proposal (all found under Find it here below) – which then served as the guiding force behind his award-winning pioneering research throughout his career, and still inspires us today.
The aim of his groundbreaking study, conducted by Doug Engelbart at Stanford Research Institute (SRI), was to flesh out his ideas for making the world a much better place in the fastest possible timeframe. His basic premise? In the midst of accelerating change, the issues and opportunities we face would be growing increasingly complex and urgent. If we could discover how teams could work dramatically smarter, better, faster, then all the initiatives tackling important challenges could be much more effective pursuing their mission. Consider it the grand challenge of grand challenges, important to success of organizations, institutions, whole nations, and cross-cutting efforts, large and small.
In the course of this study, funded jointly by SRI and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Doug forged a new discipline he called Augmenting the Human Intellect, with in-depth conceptual framework, research agenda, and strategic approach for bootstrapping the results at scale. This report summarizes his findings and recommendations.
R&D funding ensued, and so the Augmenting Human Intellect Research Center (AHIRC) was born. In a few short years, following the core principles set forth in his Framework, Doug and his team forged a constellation of breakthrough firsts to herald in a new era in team effectiveness, as demonstrated first in 1968 in what is now known as the Mother of All Demos, again in 1969 with the 'sequel' to the Demo, and beyond. Pioneering firsts in organizational computing included interactive, hyperlinked, networked personal and collaborative computing, which he co-evolved alongside organizational innovations and strategic design principles that were just as profound.
And for his efforts he was recognized with the National Medal of Technology & Innovation, the Turing Award, the Lemelson-MIT Prize, an Honorary Doctorate from Yale, and more, even as he continued pointing to the future through his lectures and management seminars.
And now widely acclaimed:
"In one 1968 presentation, this inventor shaped modern computing"
- Smithsonian Magazine
"One of recent history's most acclaimed innovators"
- Inventors Digest
"Visionary is one of the most overused terms in tech,
but it almost seems insufficient
to explain just what Doug Engelbart was'
- Fast Company
In other words, Doug's conceptual framework for augmenting the human intellect drove one of the more revolutionary research agendas on record, and, like Einstein's Theory of Relativity, is still enormously relevant. And yet we have still barely scratched the surface of fully appreciating, let alone achieving, its true potential.
And all this traces back to this seminal document – the strategic thinking, big picture vision, phenomenal thought experiments, unifying conceptual framework, organizing principles, strategic approach, and application scenarios – which informed and shaped all subsequent work.
Audio: New! Readings of the first few sections of the 1962 report by Prof. Gardner Campbell for his Framework Annotation site, now available as a collection on our Audio Resources page, here's a teaser:
Watch
Doug's 1962 Framework (12 min.) - presented by
Professor Gardner Campbell at the 2018
Engelbart Symposium celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Doug's legendary demo (offered at right).
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Watch Doug historic 1986 talk The Augmented Knowledge Workshop (67min). See event site for chapterized video, description, slidedeck, items referenced, and more. Or sample the Framework highlights
(offered at right).
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What
ever happened to Augmenting Human Intellect
- an O'Reilly Webinar by Scott McMurray, does an excellent job outlining
Doug's seminal work and the essence of his vision, with great visuals
(of course); includes how it might inform or inspire the field of data
visualization; he also covers the contributions of Vannevar Bush and
Charles Babbage.
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Join the conversation at Professor Gardner Campbell's Framework Annotation site
framework.thoughtvectors.net,
building on his guided group annotation of Doug's 1962 report, including video
conversations with guest annotators, and more. Prof. Campbell is a foremost Engelbart scholar and practitioner of Framework strategic principles.
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Test drive the The
Mother of All Demos - our interactive video tour of the early implementation of Doug's Framework and Bootstrapping Strategy; for more on the demo visit theDemo.org including a short Trailer on the demo, fun facts, memorabilia, impact and a glimpse behind the scenes.
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Virtual Exhibits from Doug's Lab
- our online exhibit space created from the Engelbart Archive Collection
- oral histories, texts, archive photos, video footage, arranged by topic
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Just For Kids
- this section of the website is
devoted to kids interested in learning more about
Doug Engelbart's life and work.
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The research world and market forces took a very different trajectory, falling way short of the true potential Doug Engelbart laid out so clearly in his Framework, and proved out the basics in his own research – now more relevant than ever. He continued to iteratively refine, implement, and evolve his message throughout his career.
The Engelbart Academy
- watch Doug and friends articulate the strategic framework in
today's terms, along with paradigm shifts and strategies still needed to pursue what became known as the Unfinished Revolution.
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Augmenting
Human Intellect: Then and Now
- To celebrate the 35th anniversary of his 1962 report, Doug and key team members
came together to reflect on what it was, what was accomplished
and what remains to be pursued. See the event site for details and to
watch their presentations.3b3
The Augmented Knowledge Workshop - Doug's historic 1986 presentation unfolding conceptual framework, tool evolution, and key framework principles for evolving toward full potential envisioned. See the event site for video, description, slides, items referenced, and more. Or sample framework highlights in the side panel above right.
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Douglas
Engelbart: More Thoughts, TidBITS
- strategic vision for innovation "Douglas Engelbart can be credited with inventing much of the
computing paradigm we all use today, but have we missed his most important ideas?"3c2
The man who sees the future, U.S. News
- "Yet, all the brilliant things he has produced are mere baubles
compared to the ideas he's trying to get across."3c4
Videos - The Engelbart Academy and Videography
- links to the video collections of Doug's key talks, presentations, workshops, awards,
and conferences available online.
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Complete Archives - visit the
Engelbart Archive Collection, a portal into his photos,
videos, texts, slides, demos, software, press coverage,
historic events, stories, and more.
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Wordle of 1962 Report