Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"Reading about [Norbert Wiener's] traumatic experiences makes unpacking the mechanics of electronic computing even more worthwhile." Wired Magazine
Review
"A compelling and lucid account of Wieners 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
Review
"[T]he book really shines, because it offers a fascinating account of how a personal crisis can destroy a scientific revolution." New York Times
Review
"Document[s] the fascinating details of [Wieners] life and rightly emphasise[s] his attempts to warn...of the social implications of technology." New Scientist
Review
"[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
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
In the middle of the last century, Norbert Wiener-ex-child prodigy and brilliant MIT mathematician -founded the science of cybernetics, igniting the information-age explosion of computers, automation, and global telecommunications. Wiener was the first to articulate the modern notion of "feedback," and his ideas informed the work of computer pioneer John von Neumann, information theorist Claude Shannon, and anthropologists Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead. His best-selling book, Cybernetics, catapulted him into the public spotlight, as did his chilling visions of the future and his ardent social activism. So what happened? Why is his work virtually unknown today? And what, in fact, is Wiener's legacy? In this remarkable book, award-winning journalists Conway and Siegelman set out to rescue Wiener's genius from obscurity 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 newly declassified WW II and Cold War-era documents) and exclusive interviews with Wiener's family and closest colleagues, the book reveals an extraordinarily complex figure, whose high-pressure childhood, manic depression, and troubled relationships had a profound effect on his scientific work. No one interested in the intersection of technology and culture will want to miss this epic story of one of the twentieth century's most brilliant and colorful figures.
Synopsis
The story of the eccentric mathematical genius who founded the revolutionary science of cybernetics and then spent his life warning the world about its dangerous human consequences
About the Author
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.