Norbert Wiener
The founder of cybernetics, a field that explores control and communication in animals and machines.
Most quoted
"We are not fighting for a definitive victory in the indefinite future. It is the greatest possible victory to be, to continue to be, and to have been. No defeat can deprive us of the success of having existed for some moment of time in a universe that seems indifferent to us."
— from Cybernetics, 1948
"The future offers very little hope for those who expect that our new mechanical slaves will offer us a world in which we may rest from thinking. Help us they may, but at the cost of supreme demands upon our honesty and our intelligence."
— from God and Golem, Inc., 1964
"It is my thesis that the physical functioning of the living individual and the operation of some of the newer communication machines are precisely parallel in their analogous attempts to control entropy through feedback."
— from Cybernetics, 1948
All quotes by Norbert Wiener (386)
The world is a communication system, and we are its messages.
The machine, like the sorcerer's apprentice, may well be on the way to getting out of human control.
The very word 'cybernetics' is derived from the Greek word for 'steersman' or 'governor'.
The machine is the modern genie, and we are its masters, for good or ill.
The most important thing about a machine is not what it does, but what it can do.
The human brain is a machine, but it is a machine that can learn and adapt.
The future belongs to those who can master the art of communication.
The machine is a tool, and like all tools, it can be used for good or for evil.
The world is a complex system, and we are only beginning to understand its workings.
The human being is a self-organizing system, and it is constantly striving to maintain its equilibrium.
The machine is a mirror of the human mind, and it reflects both our strengths and our weaknesses.
The future of humanity depends on our ability to control the machines we create.
The machine is a powerful tool, but it is not a substitute for human intelligence.
The world is full of noise, and it is our task to find the signal within the noise.
The human mind is a complex network of interconnected neurons, and it is capable of processing vast amounts of information.
The machine is a servant, but it can also be a master.
The future is uncertain, but it is within our power to shape it.
The machine is a tool for extending human capabilities, but it can also be a tool for limiting them.
The world is a dynamic system, and it is constantly evolving.
The human body is a marvel of engineering, and it is capable of performing incredible feats.
Contemporaries of Norbert Wiener
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Norbert Wiener (1894–1964).