ep6 - Norbert Wiener and Cybernetics

In this episode, we delve into the extraordinary life of Norbert Wiener, the founding father of cybernetics - the science “control and communication in the animal and the machine”.

Outline
00:00 - Intro
02:06 - The early years of Norbert
09:00 - Europe and WWI
15:50 - MIT days
19:30 - Norbert’s marriage
22:39 - Generalised harmonic analysis
28:18 - The interactions with Hopf and Paley
31:14 - Bush and the analog computer program
35:55 - WWII, Bigelow and prediction theory
40:41 - Rosenbleuth and teleological machines
47:56 - Mexico and Norbert’s biological investigations
51:25 - Cybernetics
1:00:16 - The human behind Norbert Wiener
1:01:53 - Outro
 
Episode links
Things named after Wiener: https://tinyurl.com/mt37xn93
Autobiography: https://tinyurl.com/2umws9nd
Biography: https://tinyurl.com/nhawc9az
Wiener filter: https://tinyurl.com/n9u5ukxe
Paley-Wiener theorem: https://tinyurl.com/mr3z3f89
Wiener-Kinchin theorem: https://tinyurl.com/3mxm54ac
Vannevar Bush: https://tinyurl.com/y6s7kz6t
Julian Bigelow: https://tinyurl.com/28m4a6as
Behavior, Purpose and Teleology: https://tinyurl.com/3ut2afjz
Arturo Rosenblueth: https://tinyurl.com/57wp67vh
Cybernetics:  https://tinyurl.com/5e3tnn6e
Out of control:  https://tinyurl.com/3rnhn3xh
A scientist rebels: https://tinyurl.com/5f2d3urc
Moral and technical consequences of automation: https://tinyurl.com/72tvzuxy

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Acknowledgments and sponsors
This episode was supported by the National Centre of Competence in Research on «Dependable, ubiquitous automation» and the IFAC Activity fund. The podcast benefits from the help of an incredibly talented and passionate team. Special thanks to L. Seward, E. Cahard, F. Banis, F. Dörfler, J. Lygeros, ETH studio and mirrorlake . Music was composed by A New Element.