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Quote by Norbert Wiener

Work

The human use of human beings: cybernetics and society

This book examines the concept of cybernetics—the science of communication and control in machines and living organisms—and applies it to human society. The author discusses how information theory and feedback loops influence social structures, governance, and individual autonomy. It argues that understanding these principles is essential for using technology and knowledge in ways that enhance human dignity and freedom, rather than diminishing them. The text reflects mid-20th-century concerns about automation, control systems, and the ethical responsibilities of humans in an increasingly interconnected world. more

Author

Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener

Norbert Wiener, born on November 26, 1894, and died on March 18, 1964, was an American mathematician and a founding figure in the field of cybernetics. Known as the 'father of the information age,' Wiener made significant contributions to mathematics, physics, and engineering, particularly in the areas of stochastic processes, Fourier analysis, and control theory. more

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“What sometimes enrages me and always disappoints and grieves me is the preference of great schools of learning for the derivative as opposed to the original, for the conventional and thin which can be duplicated in many copies rather than the new and powerful, and for arid correctness and limitation of scope and method rather than for universal newness and beauty, wherever it may be seen.”

“The sense of tragedy is that the world is not a pleasant little nest made for our protection, but a vast and largely hostile environment, in which we can achieve great things only by defying the gods; and that this defiance inevitably brings its own punishment.”