In the middle part of this century, Norbert Weiner — child prodigy, brilliant MIT mathematician — founded the revolutionary science of cybernetics and ignited the information-age explosion of computers, automation, and global telecommunications. The first to articulate modern notions of "feedback" and "information," Weiner's ideas informed the work of computer pioneer John von Neumann, neuroscientists Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts, and anthropologists Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead. His best-selling book, Cybernetics, which revealed the common principles underlying computers and the human nervous system, catapulted him into the public spotlight, as did his chilling visions of the future and his ardent social activism. So what happened? Why have his contributions gone virtually unrecognized? And what, in fact, is Weiner's legacy? In this remarkable book, veteran writers Conway and Siegelman set out to rehabilitate this eccentric genius, and to explore the many ways in which his groundbreaking ideas continue to shape our lives. Based on a wealth of primary sources (including some wartime documents only recently declassified) and exclusive access to Weiner's closest family members, friends, and colleagues, the book reveals an extraordinarily complex figure, whose high-pressure childhood, subsequent manic depression, and troubled marriage had a profound effect on his scientific work. That work remains relevant even today, as cyberspace netizens jump aboard the analog train (the next computing revolution and one of Weiner's most enduring contributions), while the disillusioned warn against increasing technological enslavement (Weiner's greatest fear). No one interested in the intersection of technology and culture will want to miss this epic story of one of the 20th century's most brilliant and colorful figures.

"One of the central concerns of the current 'information age' is the difficulty of ordering and making sense out of the glut of information that flies at us from every direction, at all hours, in increasingly creative and invasive ways. Wiener, the man who gave us the tools to create and nurture this age by founding the science of cybernetics, has fallen prey to that glut, with his legacy and impact largely forgotten and misunderstood. Conway and Siegelman attempt to reassess that legacy, painting a compelling, readable portrait of 'a dark hero who has fallen through the cracks in the information age, and of his fight for human beings that is the stuff of legend.' The authors, who co-wrote Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change, celebrate Wiener's genius and his voracious appetite for various modes of scientific and social inquiry, and describe how this interdisciplinary mental agility was the key to Wiener's development of cybernetics. At the same time, the authors humanize their subject with revealing but tasteful ruminations on his manic depression, his physical limitations and his sometimes petty and competitive nature. Perhaps most importantly, Conway and Siegelman chronicle Wiener's own awakening to the implications of the science he was pioneering and to the dangers they posed to his future and to ours. Photos." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Wiener's 1948 Cybernetics had a profound influence on computer, information, and social science pioneers including John von Neumann, Claude Shannon, and Margaret Mead. His visionary problem solving set off a scientific and technological revolution. But he also warned of a dark side to the cybernetic era, foreseeing the social, political, and economic upheavals that would begin to appear with the large- scale application of computers and automation. The brilliant mathematician's work fell into obscurity for reasons that journalists Conway and Siegelman trace through interviews with his family and colleagues and through newly declassified documents that show how the CIA and FBI sought to quash Wiener's social activism during the cold war.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"Reading about [Norbert Wiener's] traumatic experiences makes unpacking the mechanics of electronic computing even more worthwhile." Wired Magazine

"A compelling and lucid account of Wiener?s prodigy and prophecy....[Dark Hero] is a tremendous achievement in itself — and a wonderful portrait of a man as necessary to our new century as he was to our last." Minneapolis Star Tribune

"[T]he book really shines, because it offers a fascinating account of how a personal crisis can destroy a scientific revolution." New York Times

"Document[s] the fascinating details of [Wiener?s] life and rightly emphasise[s] his attempts to warn...of the social implications of technology." New Scientist

"[Dark Hero] shines....A fascinating account....Wiener was both brilliant and personally intriguing....As a character, he was larger than life." New York Times Book Review

Two award-winning journalists reveal the epic story of one of the 20th century's most brilliant figures--the eccentric mathematical genius Norbert Wiener, who founded the revolutionary science of cybernetics and then spent his life warning the world about its dangerous human consequences.

Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman are award-winning journalists and the authors of Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change and Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics, and Our Private Lives. They live in New York City.