I AM A MATHEMATICIAN: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

by Norbert Wiener

I AM A AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Genres: Biography, Mathematics, Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Science

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Norbert Wiener was an American mathematician and philosopher. He was Professor of Mathematics at MIT. Wiener is considered the father of cybernetics, a formalization of the notion of feedback, with implications for engineering, systems control, computer science, biology, philosophy, and the organization of society.

Reviews

[mirela Darau · Rating 2 out of 5]

It reminded me a lot of Menuhin's Unfinished Journey. At least the spirit in which it is written is very similar.
I read more than half of it, but I find no reason to continue right now: it is merely an account of things he studied, people he met, places he's been to, with not too many details. I think by now I already got the idea of the life of a (or at least this) mathematician in that time range: the start is somewhat difficult (even though he was a recognized prodigy during his childhood and teens), you need someone to give you credit, to work with, to appreciate what you're doing and this is exactly what he's found in Europe. On the other hand connections are very important, for personal development and not only. One has to be extremely versatile, open for movement and change. And at one point, there's time to return the favors others bestowed on you, and for him the context was that of WWII. And at this point I found interesting the deep humane character visible even in this subgroup of society, namely the mathematicians: indeed science should above any other differences, and there should be no division based on race or religion or who knows what beliefs and allegiances, which is mostly the case. However, there are always some exceptions, and not from among the mediocre ones, but from the elite.

[Costin Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caught in a desire to be more scientist-like I've borrowed the book "I Am a Mathematician" by Norbert Wiener from a friend of mine. While being a rather old book (written in 1956), it was exactly what I was looking for: a book that described in layman's terms what the life of a true scientist is like and how he thinks.

I think the book itself was rather boring, but the world described and the way this guy was thinking really opened my eyes to things I wish I understood in my early teens. He sees, for example, the way sciences come together in one big thing called science. Even if he was a mathematician, he worked in physics, psychology and electronics, because he saw the way they worked together, not as separate unconnected subjects. He was thorough, focused and science minded. He went to the beach and thought about equations to define the movements of waves as they break against the shore.

My conclusion is that it is a wonderful insight in the mind of a scientist. It is not a popular science book, it is an autobiography, so it might get a little boring, but it also puts everything into context.

[Angela Natividad · Rating 5 out of 5]

What you find in Wiener is what you find in the best mathematicians: they tend to be philosophers in their own right.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norbert Wiener, geb. 26. November 1994, führt lustigerweise seinen Stammbaum auf Maimonides zurück.
Sehr hübsche Lebensbeschreibung. Das Kindheitskapitel, wo er sein Leben als child prodigy schildert, ist aber erstaunlich langweilig. Auch er meint, dass durch die jüdische Tradition Wissenschaftler ermutigt werden. Sein Vater hat in zwei Jahren 24 Bände Tolstoi übersetzt.
Der Mann scheint hauptsächlich Sprachen gelernt und sich in der Welt herum getrieben zu haben. Es gibt aber Ausführungen zum Thema Ethik in der Wissenschaft. Er meint, dass das Böse Einzug gehalten hat, nicht weil die Wissenschaftler Böses getan hätten, sondern weil Leute in die Wissenschaft gekommen sind, die in frühreren Zeiten Versicherungen verkauft hätten. Interessant auch, dass er Science Fiction für schädlich hält. Außerdem war er Go-Spieler. (7/10)

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written (Part 2 of the) autobiography of Norbert Wiener. It is always a pleasure to hear from one who thinks for himself and thinks well. As a reader with particular interest in Mathematics and Physics, I could have used greater technical detail, but for the general reader, Wiener has stuck a nice balance; no special expertise required. The first part is titled "ex-Prodigy". Both are free at archiv.org .

This or any other book which shows how the process of science works: making ever better guesses about how the world works (and not a mere collection of facts), is valuable for anyone who doesn't understand this. Wiener puts a compassionate human face on the effort.

[Aiman Adlawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Norbert was alive today, this book could have been his travelogue. It seemed like he kept a daily journal for he remembered every moment of his life and career.
I grabbed this book in the library because I wanted to read something about Math. I was intrigued by the title. Here, I now knew Norber Wiener. A brilliant man.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sequel" to "Ex-Prodigy". Significantly more mathy, but a math person will be interested in the gossip stuff and, if you're interested in how scholars disliked by the Reich got out of Germany, that part will interest you.

[Hassaan Naeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb read. Fascinating just how many things Wiener had his hands in. There are portions in here that are well worth going over a couple times.

[Al Maki]

It gave me some insight into the thought process of someone who was capable of abstraction to a degree I find unimagineable. I was surprised at the importance he placed on self discipline.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norbert Wiener führt lustigerweise seinen Stammbaum auf Maimonides zurück.
Sehr hübsche Lebensbeschreibung. Das Kindheitskapitel, wo er sein Leben als child prodigy schildert, ist aber erstaunlich langweilig. Auch er meint, daß durch die jüdische Tradition Wissenschaftler ermutigt werden. Sein Vater hat in zwei Jahren 24 Bände Tolstoi übersetzt.
Der Mann scheint hauptsächlich Sprachen gelernt und sich in der Welt herum getrieben zu haben. Es gibt aber Ausführungen zum Thema Ethik in der Wissenschaft. Er meint, daß das Böse Einzug gehalten hat, nicht weil die Wissenschaftler Böses getan hätten, sondern weil Leute in die Wissenschaft gekommen sind, die in frühereren Zeiten Versicherungen verkauft hätten. Interessant auch, daß er die Science Fiction für schädlich hält. Außerdem war er Go-Spieler.

[Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Norbert Wiener from my father. He told me that he was the creator of the control theory. Later, I start to read about Wiener and became fascinated by his life and mathematics. He is one of my heroes.

[marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

require a later reread

[Haifeng Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid life story of one of the best scientists in the 20th century.