[1] The analytic point of view understands that the calculus ratiocinator is a formal inference engine or computer program, which can be designed so as to grant primacy to calculations.
Frege intended his "concept script" to be a calculus ratiocinator as well as a universal characteristics.
A contrasting point of view stems from synthetic philosophy and fields such as cybernetics, electronic engineering, and general systems theory.
The cybernetician Norbert Wiener considered Leibniz's calculus ratiocinator a forerunner to the modern day digital computer: "The history of the modern computing machine goes back to Leibniz and Pascal.
In this way the meaning of the word, "ratiocinator" is clarified and can be understood as a mechanical instrument that combines and compares ratios.