Citation
Mann, C.J.H. (2005), "In search of Norbert Wiener, the father of Cybernetics", Kybernetes, Vol. 34 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2005.06734eae.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
In search of Norbert Wiener, the father of Cybernetics
Norbert Wiener, known worldwide as the father of cybernetics, is constantly being honoured in the cybernetics and systems community and very much so on the pages of this journal. His contributions to these fields are continually cited in the papers and articles that are published. It came as no surprise therefore, to receive the advanced uncorrected proofs of a new book that, to quote the publishers, is:
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The story of the eccentric mathematical genius who founded the revolutionary science of cybernetics – then spent his life warning the world about its dangerous human consequences
The details of this new publication (subject to change in the final bound copy) are as follows.
Dark Hero of the Information Age in search of Norbert Wiener
Flo Conway and Jim SiegelmanBasic Books (a member of the Perseus Books Group)New York, NY2005ISBN 0-465-0368-8xv. 411 pp. (Advance)$26.00 US/$36.95 (Can.)
In their pre-release the publishers tell us that:
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Veteran writers Flo Conway and Jim 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.
Our book reviewers are currently appraising this text and reviews will appear in later issues.