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 beauty of mathematics lies in its elegance and its power.
We must never stop asking questions.
The true measure of a man is not his wealth or his power, but his wisdom and his compassion.
The universe is full of wonders, both seen and unseen.
I am a firm believer in the power of human ingenuity.
The pursuit of truth is a noble endeavor.
My work on information theory has profound implications for understanding communication.
The boundaries between disciplines are artificial; true understanding comes from integration.
I often feel like a stranger in a strange land, even in my own country.
The responsibility of the scientist is not only to discover, but also to warn.
My greatest joy comes from the act of creation, whether it be a mathematical proof or a piece of writing.
The world is constantly changing, and we must adapt or be left behind.
I have always been a solitary thinker, but I value collaboration.
The human element is crucial in any system, no matter how automated.
Education is the key to unlocking human potential.
The pursuit of knowledge should be a joyous adventure.
I find solace in the order and logic of mathematics.
The greatest discoveries often come from unexpected places.
We must strive for a world where technology serves humanity, not the other way around.
My mind is a restless ocean, constantly churning with ideas.
Contemporaries of Norbert Wiener
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Norbert Wiener (1894–1964).