Norbert Wiener, age 11, “The Most Remarkable Boy in the World.” From Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World magazine, October 7, 1906. Norbert Wiener Papers, MC 22, box X. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Institute, Archives and Special Collections, Cambridge, MA.

September 2015

Special Issue on 2014 Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century

Vol. 34, No. 3

In this issue of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine we acknowledge one of the quintessential multi-disciplinarians of our time, Dr. Norbert Wiener (1894–1964), the Father of Cybernetics. During his life, Wiener influenced mathematics, philosophy, science, technology, ethics, biology, prosthesis, education, manufacturing, and many other fields. He was an early practitioner of diversity and social inclusion, and an advocate of social responsibility in the development of technology. He predicted the social impact of robotic, cybernetic, and other technologies on the future of society, and after several decades his writings retain their relevance.

Free Online Content

• Technological Expeditions and Cognitive Indolence by ieeessit Posted in: Editorial & Opinion, Magazine Articles - The Greely Expedition of 1881 is a harrowing tale of starvation and the death of all but six of the… ...  Read More
• Norbert Wiener and the Counter-Tradition to the Dream of Mastery by Doug Hill Posted in: Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact - Wiener was far ahead of his time in recognizing that our habits of technology-fueled consumption pose significant threats to health… ...  Read More
• Reintroducing Wiener: Channeling Norbert in the 21st Century by ieeessit Posted in: Editorial & Opinion, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact - The arc of Norbert Wiener's fascinating life became clear to us one day in the M.I.T. Institute Archives. In one… ...  Read More
• Ubiquitous Surveillance and Security by Bruce Schneier Posted in: Editorial & Opinion, Magazine Articles, Privacy & Security - Governments and corporations gather, store, and analyze the tremendous amount of data we chuff out as we move through our… ...  Read More
• The Next Macy Conference: A New Interdisciplinary Synthesis by ieeessit Posted in: Magazine Articles - The postwar period was one of intense interdisciplinary ferment, nowhere more so than at the famous Macy conferences on circular… ...  Read More
• Norbert Wiener: Odd Man Ahead by ieeessit Posted in: Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact - My childhood memories of Norbert Wiener are of a strange looking person who came repeatedly from his New Hampshire home… ...  Read More
• 21CW: Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century by ieeessit Posted in: Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact - In this issue of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine we acknowledge one of the quintessential multi-disciplinarians of our time, Dr.… ...  Read More
• A Conversation with Lazar Puhalo by ieeessit Posted in: Human Impacts, Interview, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact - In December 17, 2014, T&S Editor-in-Chief Katina Michael interviewed Archbishop of Ottawa (Ret.) Lazar Puhalo, of the Orthodox Church in… ...  Read More
• Creating The Norbert Wiener Media Project by ieeessit Posted in: Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact - Mary Catherine Bateson in an interview from the 2014 Norbert Wiener Conference in Boston.   In the early part of… ...  Read More
• Automatic Tyranny, Re-Theism ,and the Rise of the Reals by ieeessit Posted in: Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact - “So will computers be smarter than humans? It depends on what you consider to be a computer and what you… ...  Read More

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