Tra calcolo e creatività: il pensiero visionario di Ada Lovelace

Le sette "Note" come presagio del futuro

Abstract

The fame of Augusta Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) is mainly based on the publication of the translation from French into English of a scientific text describing the design idea of Charles Babbage’s (1791-1871) Analytical Engine, an invention that has come to be defined as the first prototype of the modern computer. The text, published in September 1843, is full of sharp observations, explanations and mathematical demonstrations which, far from being a fragmentary and disjointed list, offer us a self-contained, organic and complete essay. Lovelace added some Notes to the translation as a commentary on the text. The latter appear noteworthy if one places them in an era when women were even precluded from participating in scientific discussions. However, despite a consistent, substantial and high-quality scientific work, Lovelace had to disguise her identity by signing the translation with only the initials A.A.L. (Augusta Ada Lovelace): in the Victorian era, it would have been rather embarrassing for a woman, moreover of high social standing, to appear as the translator of a work dealing with “vile mechanics”.

An examination of this translation reveals that Lovelace approached science in a rather unique way, combining a rigorous scientific method with a romantic and imaginative approach. Despite her refusal to conform to the conventional roles and behaviour expected of a woman of her class, Lovelace would become a key figure in the social and scientific spheres of Victorian England and an important innovator in contemporary thought.