Computational Intelligence: Synergies of Fuzzy Logic, Neural Networks and Evolutionary Computing

Foreword

Computational Intelligence: Synergies of Fuzzy Logic, Neural Networks and Evolutionary Computing, or CIS for short, is a true magnum opus. Authored by Dr Nazmul Siddique and Professor Hojjat Adeli, CIS is a profoundly impressive work. It breaks new ground on many levels and in many directions. It contains a wealth of information which is new, and if not new, hard to find elsewhere.

In recent years, computational intelligence (CI) has been growing rapidly in visibility and importance. CIS's coverage of CI is very thorough, very authoritative, very insightful and very reader-friendly. CIS paves the way for making courses on CI a requirement in engineering curricula.

What is computational intelligence? A bit of history is in order. The core of CI is the conception, design and utilization of intelligent systems. The concept of an intelligent system began to crystallize in the 1980s, at a time when AI was undergoing an identity crisis, moving from logic to probability theory. There were many competing methodologies, among them traditional AI, fuzzy logic, neuro-computing and evolutionary computing. Each of these methodologies had a community, with each community claiming superiority over the others. In that climate, I came to the conclusion that what was needed was a unification of the methodologies which were competing with AI, gaining strength through unity. This was the genesis of the concept of soft computing (SC) as a partnership of fuzzy logic, neuro-computing, evolutionary ...