Donald MacCrimmon MacKay was born on 9 August 1922 in Lybster, Scotland. A physicist, he is known for his contributions to early information theory and the theory of brain organisation. After his service with the Admiralty, he pursed his PhD in the limitation of high-speed electronic analogue computers. Appointed Lecturer in Physics at King’s College, London in 1946, he moved to Keele University in 1960, helping to establish the renowned Department of Communication and Neuroscience. He became Professor Emeritus in 1982.
MacKay’s work with early computer technology led him to study the differences between the human brain and computers. His Gifford Lectures were edited by his widow and Professor Neil Spurway of the University of Glasgow and published after his death. Other works include Analogue Computing at Ultra-High Speed (1962), Freedom of Action in a Mechanistic Universe (1965), Information Meaning and Mechanism (1969), The Clockwork Image (1974), Science Chance and Providence (1978), Human Science and Human Dignity (1979), Brains, Machines and Persons (1980), and The Open Mind (1988).
