John von Neumann — "Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of cou…"
Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.
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Details
A humorous but pointed remark on the inherent contradiction of trying to create true randomness with predictable algorithms.
Date: Mid-20th century
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Understanding this quote
What it means
True randomness cannot emerge from a fixed, predictable process. Deterministic algorithms follow rules — they produce sequences that appear random but are entirely predictable given the starting seed. Calling such output genuinely random is a convenient fiction. The quote captures a real mathematical paradox: computers, by design fully deterministic, cannot create true randomness, yet we rely on pseudorandom numbers constantly in statistics, cryptography, and simulation.
Relevance to John von Neumann
Von Neumann personally invented the middle-squares method, one of the first pseudorandom number algorithms, used for Monte Carlo simulations in nuclear weapons design at Los Alamos. He also established the logical foundations of modern computer architecture — inherently deterministic systems. The quote reflects his characteristic sharp wit alongside intellectual honesty: he deployed these flawed methods himself while never pretending they produced what they claimed to produce.
The era
The 1940s and 1950s saw the first practical electronic computers emerge, creating an urgent need for random numbers to power Monte Carlo simulations essential to nuclear weapons design, statistical physics, and operations research. Hardware sources of true randomness were impractical at scale, forcing an uncomfortable compromise: deterministic machines generating fake randomness for real-world calculations. Von Neumann's quip captured the philosophical unease that defined early computational science.
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