Cybernetics, or, Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine

by Norbert Wiener

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"Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of controlling the flow of information in systems with feedback loops, be they biological, mechanical, cognitive, or social. This book is widely cited for laying the theoretical foundations of information theory and influencing the development of error-correcting servomechanisms, autonomous navigation, analog computing, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience"--

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11 reviews
This is a very important text for anyone interested in the history and philosophy of computation. Weiner was extremely influential in his ideas post war and thus shaped much of the cultural context of early computer science up to the late ‘60s. The ideas and theoretical work are still fundamental and echo behind many technological systems today. A brilliant mind with perhaps too much influence on contemporary ideas giving rise to several unintended consequences.
Aqui sou peixe n'água. Minha área é a Teoria da Informação e da Comunicação lançada por Shannon & Weaver nos anos 1940s e explicada por Wiener - cujo lema ¨Viver adequadamente é viver com a informação adequada¨ tem sido meu lema ao longo da vida profissional, ideológica e cultural. O livro nos ensina as teorias de Newton e Bergson, a Mecânica Estatística, a Retroalimentação, a relação entre computadores e n osso sistema nervoso, o Gestaltismo, a relação entre informação (Semântica), linguagem (Sintaxe) e sociedade (Pragmática)
I almost don't know what to say about this book. It was overwhelming to read in 1981, when I first found it. From the Saturday Review (from the back cover):

"Acclaimed one of the "seminal books... comparable in ultimate importance to... Galileo or Malthus or Rousseau or Mill", Cybernetics was judged by twenty-seven historians, economists, educators, and philosophers to be one of those books published during the "past four decades," which may have a substantial impact on public thought and action in the years ahead." -- Saturday Review"
A classic text from the American genius with an unfortunate name. Where successful, it was subsumed.
Acclaimed one of the "seminal books... comparable in ultimate importance to... Galileo or Malthus or Rousseau or Mill", Cybernetics was judged by twenty-seven historians, economists, educators, and philosophers to be one of those books published during the "past four decades," which may have a substantial impact on public thought and action in the years ahead." -- Saturday Review
Book Description: Cambridge: M. I. T. Press, 1961. Trade Paperback. Very Good. 2d ed. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 212 pp., illus.; 24 cm. 1961. Second edition. pp. xvi, (iv), 212. 11 figures.

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Author
32+ Works 2,556 Members
Norbert Wiener (1894-1964) served on the faculty in the Department of Mathematics at MIT from 1919 until his death. In 1963, he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his contributions to mathematics and the engineering and biological sciences. He was the author of many books, including Norbert Wiener-A Life in Cybernetics and the National show more Book Award-winning God Golem, Inc.: A Comment on Certain Points Where Cybernetics Impinges on Religion (both published by the MIT Press). show less

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Henze, E. (Translator)
Serr, E.H. (Translator)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Cybernetics, or, Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine
Original publication date
1948
Dedication
To ARTURO ROSENBLUETH
for many years my companion in science
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)It is premature to predict the entire value of these methods both in pure biological research and in medicine, but I have great hopes that they may be proved to be of the utmost value in both fields.

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Genres
Nonfiction, Technology, Science & Nature, General Nonfiction, Philosophy
DDC/MDS
006Computer science, information & general worksComputer science, knowledge & systemsSpecial computer methods (AI, barcoding, VR, web design, social media)
LCC
Q175 .W6516ScienceScience (General)General
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Reviews
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Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
26
ASINs
21