Berlinski believes that the algorithm rates as the second greatest idea of Western civilization, second only to calculus, the subject of his last book, A Tour of the Calculus.
Digital computation relies on the ability of algorithms to break tasks down into very small steps.
Each step is governed by instructions so clear that a computer doesn't have to apply intelligence in order to achieve the algorithm's purpose. Berlinski imparts an understanding of the functional qualities of algorithms and how logicians such as Alan Turing, Kurt G del, and Emil Post initiated the widespread use of algorithms, which now extends beyond computers and into the realms of biology and social organization.