Norbert Wiener

Date of Birth: November 26, 1894

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Date of Death: March 18, 1964

Biography

Norbert Wiener was a pioneering American mathematician and philosopher, best known for his foundational work in the field of cybernetics, a term he coined to describe the study of control and communication in the animal and the machine. Born into a family of intellectuals, Wiener displayed prodigious talents from an early age. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University at the tender age of 18 and went on to have a distinguished career, primarily at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Throughout his life, Wiener made significant contributions to various fields, including stochastic processes, quantum mechanics, and electrical engineering. His interdisciplinary approach and visionary ideas have left an indelible mark on modern science and technology.

5 Interesting Facts about Norbert Wiener

1. Norbert Wiener was a child prodigy; he entered college at the age of 11.

2. He served as a faculty member at MIT for most of his career, where he developed much of his groundbreaking work.

3. Wiener published a seminal book titled “Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine” in 1948, which laid the groundwork for modern control theory and systems engineering.

4. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1963, one of the highest honors for a scientist in the United States.

5. Wiener was deeply concerned about the ethical implications of his work, particularly in how it could be used in warfare and surveillance.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Norbert Wiener

1. “The best material model of a cat is another, or preferably the same, cat.”

2. “Progress imposes not only new possibilities for the future but new restrictions.”

3. “To live effectively is to live with adequate information.”

4. “It is the thesis of this book 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.”

5. “Communication is the cement which makes the bricks of society stick together.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Norbert Wiener’s net worth at the height of his career is not well-documented, but his contributions to science and technology have had an immeasurable impact.