Norbert Wiener (1894-1960)

Mathematician Norbert Wiener's work in the area of communica­tion theory led to the development of cybernetics, or the study of control and communication in animals and machines. His work also formed the basis for the branch of artificial intelligence researcli based on the processes of the human mind.

The son of a somewhat eccentric professor of Slavic languages and literature American mathematician Norbert Wiener's inherent bril­liance set him on intellectual path at an early age. Although his up­bringing backfired to a certain degree, leaving him always somewhat skeptical of his abilities, Wiener's work in mathematical theories would lead him to the founding of a new discipline - cybernetics, or the study of control and communication in animals and machines.

Wieners intellectual gifts exhibited themselves at an early age. Born in the college town of Columbia, Missouri, he was quickly recog­nized as a child prodigy and was reading fluently by age of three. He entered high school at nine, completing the four-year course in just two years, and went on to complete his undergraduate degree at Tufts University at age of 14. The following year, Wiener began postgra­duates studies at Harvard University, earning his master's degree in 1912 and his Ph.D. in mathematical logic one year later at the age of

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19. He then traveled to England and attended Cambridge University, where he studied logic. Following his studies at Cambridge, Wiener attended the University of Gottingen in Germany.

On his return to the U.S., Wiener taught at Colombia, Harvard and Main Universities. Finding it difficult to focus entirely on academ­ics, he also worked for a year as a stuff writer for Encyclopedia America, and for another year as a journalist for the Boston Herald. Although an ardent pacifist, Wiener also worked as a mathematician at the U.S. Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Maryland, where he helped formulate mathematical tables that were used to determine where guns should be aimed before firing. He was appointed profes­sor of mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1919, and remained on faculty there until 1960.

His scientific work at MIT sparked his interest in how infor­mation was transmitted and processed, both in humans and ma­chines. As Wiener saw it, pure communication process involves similar, definable elements, whether they are conducted by machines or man. If those elements, or messages, once they were defined, could be rigorously controlled, then they could also be used to control both machines and human beings. And, by be­ing able to modify behavior learning from these processes, both man and machine could evolve to higher levels functioning.

As Wiener continued his research, he coined the term cyber­netics (from the Greek kybernetes for steersman).

Wiener's work before and during World War II led to the publishing of Cybernetics, or control and communication in the animal and machine in 1948. In it he described a new way of looking at how the world functioned, based on his research on the way in which information is transmitted and processed. He saw a world that focused on information, not energy; and on digital or numeric processes. His theories not only laid the foundation for this new field of study, they also largely predicted the future development of computers. The book had an immediate impact; terms such as input, feedback and output, in common use today, were first intro­duced in Cybernetics. In subsequent books, he would theorize about a world where machines triumphed over their creators.

Taking Computer for Granted

Wiener remained an active mathematician throughout his life. Although he is most noted as «the father of cybernetics», he also made many contributions to the fields of pure and applied mathematics, theoretical physics and theoretical engineering. Wiener's work also formed the basis of another new scientific field - artificial intelligence -which amplified many of his theories on the relationship between man and machine in its search to develop a machine that could think.

Read and try to understand the given above text Answer the questions:

1. What do you think about the artificial intelligence. Is it poss­ible to create something like that? In case of your positive or negative answer prove your point of view.

2. Don't you think that our modern computers symbolize movement towards the artificial intelligence? How can you prove your point of view?

3. Suppose, let's say, in ten or twenty years the computer mar­ket will offer you instead of a computer an artificial intelli­gence. What would be your attitude to it?

4. No doubt, an artificial intelligence will essentially change people's life. Can you predict in what way? You have a free hand to stir up your unrestricted fantasy.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1848