Member-only story

In Search of Norbert Wiener: The Father of Cybernetics

Houston Powell

·5.3k Followers· Follow

Published in Dark Hero Of The Information Age: In Search Of Norbert Wiener The Father Of Cybernetics

6 min read · 2 weeks before

766 View Claps

49 Respond

Save

Listen

Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Wiener, The Father of Cybernetics

by Flo Conway

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3031 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	466 pages

Norbert Wiener was a mathematician, engineer, and philosopher who is considered the father of cybernetics. He was born in 1894 in Columbia, Missouri, and he died in 1964 in Stockholm, Sweden. Wiener made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, engineering, and philosophy, and he is best known for his work on cybernetics.

Cybernetics is the study of the control and communication of systems. It is a broad field that encompasses a wide range of topics, including engineering, biology, and computer science. Wiener's work on cybernetics was groundbreaking, and it has had a profound impact on the development of many different fields.

One of Wiener's most important contributions to cybernetics was his development of the concept of feedback. Feedback is a process in which the output of a system is used to control the input. This allows systems to self-correct and to adapt to changing conditions. Wiener's work on feedback has been applied to a wide range of fields, including engineering, biology, and computer science.

Another important contribution of Wiener's to cybernetics was his development of the concept of information. Wiener argued that information is a fundamental quantity that can be used to describe the behavior of systems. He also developed a number of mathematical tools for measuring and processing information. Wiener's work on information theory has had a profound impact on the development of many different fields, including computer science, artificial intelligence, and communication theory.

Wiener was a brilliant thinker who made significant contributions to a wide range of fields. He is considered one of the most important scientists of the 20th century, and his work has had a profound impact on the development of many different technologies. Wiener's legacy continues to inspire new generations of scientists and engineers, and his work will continue to have a major impact on the development of new technologies for years to come.

Wiener's Early Life and Education

Norbert Wiener was born in Columbia, Missouri, on November 26, 1894. His father, Leo Wiener, was a professor of Slavic languages at Harvard University. His mother, Bertha Kahn Wiener, was a social worker. Wiener had two older sisters, Bertha and Dorothy.

Wiener was a precocious child. He taught himself to read at the age of three, and he was enrolled in kindergarten at the age of four. He skipped several grades in elementary school, and he graduated from high school at the age of 14.

Wiener went on to attend Harvard University, where he studied mathematics and philosophy. He graduated from Harvard in 1913, and he received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard in 1916.

Wiener's Career

After graduating from Harvard, Wiener taught mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for two years. In 1919, he moved to Cambridge, England, where he worked as a research fellow at Trinity College. In 1924, he returned to MIT, where he remained for the rest of his career.

Wiener was a prolific writer, and he published over 100 books and papers. His most famous book is Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, which was published in 1948. This book is considered a seminal work in the field of cybernetics, and it has had a profound impact on the development of many different fields.

Wiener was also a gifted teacher, and he inspired many students to pursue careers in science and engineering. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Society of London. He also received the Medal of Freedom from President Harry S. Truman in 1946.

Wiener's Legacy

Norbert Wiener was a brilliant thinker who made significant contributions to a wide range of fields. He is considered one of the most important scientists of the 20th century, and his work has had a profound impact on the development of many different technologies.

Wiener's legacy continues to inspire new generations of scientists and engineers, and his work will continue to have a major impact on the development of new technologies for years to come.

Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Wiener, The Father of Cybernetics

by Flo Conway

4.3 out of 5