Computing Reviews
Today's Issue Hot Topics Search Browse Recommended My Account Log In
Review Help
Search
Dark hero of the information age : in search of Norbert Wiener the father of cybernetics
Conway F., Siegelman J., Basic Books, Inc., New York, NY, 2006. 423 pp. Type: Book (9780465013715)
Date Reviewed: Oct 31 2007

A child prodigy; a brilliant, absent-minded, eccentric professor; the father of cybernetics; a humanist; a rebel; and a fragile unsung hero--these are all titles that describe Norbert Wiener. Describing him in this way, however, does injustice to his multifaceted life. Luckily, Conway and Siegelman have provided us with a deeper look into the turbulent and tragic life of one of the foremost mathematicians and technologists of the twentieth century.

Conway and Siegelman trace the childhood of “The Most Remarkable Boy in the World.” Wiener received his Bachelor of Arts in mathematics at the age of 14, and his PhD at 18. He was tutored by his strict and demanding father, Leo Wiener. The authors try to provide a glimpse of what it was like to endure the strict and sometimes demeaning regime of his father, and the pressure that came with bearing the title of child prodigy. After his PhD, Wiener traveled to Europe to work with such minds as Bertrand Russell and G.H. Hardy. Upon return to the US, he received a subdued reception, and found it difficult to get an academic position until he was offered the post of mathematics instructor at the newly opened Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In this section, readers are provided with a glimpse of the tortured and frail Wiener. For example, the lack of recognition by his American peers was particularly damaging to him.

During the Second World War, Wiener engaged himself with studying the problem of automatic tracing and firing of anti-aircraft guns. This turned out to be the beginning of his lifelong work with feedback loops, which led him to father the area of research called cybernetics. Cybernetics is concerned with feedback as a mechanism for self-regulating systems, such as anti-aircraft guns, social norms, or cognitive theory.

Wiener, a Jew, was married to Margaret Engemann, a German immigrant, and the couple had two daughters. The authors show how this turbulent relationship drove Wiener toward cyclic periods of joy and depression. Margaret seemed bent on triggering Wiener’s caustic mood by making side remarks and using scheming tactics. During the war, she openly expressed her strong sympathies for the Nazi ideology, while Norbert was shocked at the anti-Semitism happening around the world. She routinely accused Wiener of having sexual feelings toward one of his daughters. In the end, one such lie ended up destroying the growing field of cybernetics: Margaret told Wiener that his daughter was having sexual relations with several of his colleagues. Wiener, believing his wife, broke off all contact with his close colleagues without asking for any explanation from either his daughter or his friends. This breakup turned out to be the death knell for the field, and ended some of Wiener’s closest collaborations.

The use of the atom bomb in the war, as well as his dealings with the government and industry, drove Wiener to take the extraordinary stand of not involving himself in any projects funded by these institutions. His public refusal to work with the government, and his friendly relationship with the Soviets (who were interested in exploiting the power of cybernetics), led to his name appearing on a government watch list. His article in The Atlantic Monthly ruffled feathers [1], and asked scientists to consider the ethical implications of their work. This theme was summed up in his book [2]. His earlier book [3] became the authoritative text in that field.

In this biography, the authors have tried to bring Norbert Wiener back from obscurity and bestow upon him the rightful title as one of the greatest technologists of his time. The book tries to keep a good balance between his personal and professional life, and explains, in easy-to-understand language, the nature of his contributions. The authors have been successful in doing this, but they also ended up creating a portrait of Wiener the genius, not Wiener the person. They treat him with admiration, which prevents a more impartial treatment of events. For example, the authors dwell on how Margaret schemed to destroy the collaboration that drove cybernetics, but why Wiener never questioned her, his daughter, or colleagues is ignored.

The book rescues Wiener from obscurity, but at the expense of creating a larger-than-life character.

Reviewer:  Srijith Nair Review #: CR134888 (0809-0818)
1) Wiener, N. A scientist rebels. The Atlantic Monthly 179, (1947), 46–46.
2) Wiener, N. The human use of human beings: cybernetics and society. Da Capo Press, New York, NY, 1950.
3) Wiener, N. Cybernetics or control and communication in the animal and the machine. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1948.
Bookmark and Share
  Featured Reviewer  
 
Biographies/ Autobiographies (A.0 ... )
 
 
Public Policy Issues (K.4.1 )
 
 
User/ Machine Systems (H.1.2 )
 
 
History of Computing (K.2 )
 
Would you recommend this review?
yes
no
Other reviews under "Biographies/Autobiographies": Date
The man who knew infinity
Kanigel R., Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, NY, 1991. Type: Book (9780684192598)
Aug 1 1992
Hard drive
Wallace J., Erickson J., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 1992. Type: Book (9780471568865)
Mar 1 1993
Reflections on Kurt Gödel
Wang H., MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1987. Type: Book (9789780262231275)
Jul 1 1988
more...

E-Mail This Printer-Friendly
Send Your Comments
Contact Us
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.   Copyright 1999-2024 ThinkLoud®
Terms of Use
| Privacy Policy