Norbert Wiener 1894–1964

Front Matter....Pages 1-14
Prologue....Pages 15-28
Count Tolstoy and Wiener’s Father....Pages 29-33
New England and Wiener’s Early Training, 1901–1905....Pages 34-38
Harvard and Wiener’s University Training, 1906–1913....Pages 39-44
Bertrand Russell and Wiener’s Postdoctoral Years, 1914—1917....Pages 45-65
World War I and Wiener’s Military Yearnings....Pages 66-70
From Postulate Systems to the Brownian Motion and Potential Theory....Pages 71-91
The Allotment of National Income, Marriage, and Wiener’s Academic Career....Pages 92-95
From Communications Engineering to Generalized Harmonic Analysis and Tauberian Theory....Pages 96-114
Max Born and Wiener’s Thoughts on Quantum Mechanics and Unified Field Theory....Pages 115-131
The Collaboration with E. Hopf and R.E.A.C. Paley....Pages 132-138
Birkhoff’s Theorem and the Consolidation of Wiener’s Ideas on Statistical Physics....Pages 139-159
Lee, Bush, and Wiener’s Thoughts on Networks and Computers....Pages 160-180
Bigelow and Anti-Aircraft Fire Control, 1940–1945....Pages 181-196
Arturo Rosenblueth and Wiener’s Work in Physiology....Pages 197-217
McCulloch, Pitts and the Evolution of Wiener’s Neurophysiological Ideas....Pages 218-238
The Cybernetical Movement and von Neumann’s Letter, 1946....Pages 239-250
Cybernetics....Pages 251-271
The Second Industrial Revolution and its Educational, Economic and Social Challenges....Pages 272-294
Wiener on Global Policy and Military Science; von Neumann’s Position; Science and Human Welfare....Pages 295-317
Wiener’s Excursion into the Religious Domain....Pages 318-334
Wiener’s Literary Predilections and Initiatives. His Concept of Art....Pages 335-348
Wiener, the Man and the Teacher: Authenticity and Prejudice in his Attitudes and Writings....Pages 349-365
Epilogue....Pages 366-370
Back Matter....Pages 371-416