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001 on1530744075;

003 OCoLC;

005 20260127093936.0;

007 t|;

008 250805r20251950nyu 001 0 eng d;

020 a| 0063423197;

020 a| 9780063423190q| (paperback);

024 8 a| CIPO000257093;

035 a| (Sirsi) 40032919336;

035 a| 40032919336;

035 a| (OCoLC)1530744075;

050 4 a| Q175b| .W546 2025;

082 04 a| 303.48/32| 23;

100 1 a| Wiener, Norbert,d| 1894-1964,e| author.1| https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJdWTY6dHXbBvQqFhWFxjC=| ^A50925;

245 14 a| The human use of human beings :b| cybernetics and society /c| Norbert Wiener ; foreword by Brian Christian.;

250 a| First Mariner Classics paperback edition.;

250 a| 75th anniversary edition.;

264 1 a| New York :b| Mariner Classics,c| 2025.;

300 a| xix, 216 pages ;c| 21 cm;

336 a| textb| txt2| rdacontent;

337 a| unmediatedb| n2| rdamedia;

338 a| volumeb| nc2| rdacarrier;

500 a| Originally published as The human use of human beings : cybernetics and society in the United States of America in 1950 by Houghton Mifflin."--Title page verso;

500 a| Includes index;

520 a| "In 1950, mathematician-philosopher Norbert Wiener ended this classic book on the place of machines in society with a warning: "We shall never receive the right answers to our questions unless we ask the right questions.... The hour is very late, and the choice of good and evil knocks at our door." Wiener, the founder of the science of cybernetics--the study of the relationship between computers and the human nervous system--was widely mislabeled as an advocate for the automation of human life. As The Human Use for Human Beings reveals, his vision was much more complex and interesting, and is more relevant in today's world of AI than anyone could have anticipated. In his new introduction, Brian Christian aptly calls Wiener the "progenitor of contemporary AI-safety discourse." Wiener hoped that machines would release people from relentless and repetitive drudgery to achieve more creative pursuits, yet he anticipated the danger of dehumanizing and displacement. His pioneering views on the human-machine relationship as a "communicative process" are only more crucial now, as we carry in our pockets AI devices that we can literally speak to. His prescient warnings illuminate our contemporary relationships with language, art, and even social media. The Human Use of Human Beings examines the implications of cybernetics for education, law, language, science, technology, as Wiener anticipates the enormous impact--in effect, a third industrial revolution--that the computer has had on our lives."--c| Provided by publisher;

534 p| Originally published:c| Boston, Mass. : Houghton Mifflin, 1950.;

650 0 a| Cybernetics.=| ^A8612;

650 0 a| Cyberneticsx| Social aspects.=| ^A8612;

650 0 a| Technologyx| Social aspects.=| ^A11440;

650 7 a| Cybernetics.2| fast0| (OCoLC)fst00885777;

650 7 a| Technologyx| Social aspects.2| fast0| (OCoLC)fst01145202;

700 1 a| Christian, Brian,d| 1984-e| writer of foreword.1| https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJrrwfrFjRwK7FhWt7WqwC=| ^A1054464;

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960 o| 1s| 18.99t| Joyner48u| JAPPz| USD;

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998 a| 6632103;

999 a| Q175 .W546 2025w| LCc| 1i| 30372017705036d| 3/9/2026e| 10/25/2025l| JGESm| JOYNERr| Ys| Yt| JGESBKu| 10/24/2025x| BOOKz| JSTACKSo| .STAFF. jjlm;

The human use of human beings : cybernetics and society / Norbert Wiener ; foreword by Brian Christian.

Author/creator	Wiener, Norbert author.
Other author	Christian, Brian, 1984- writer of foreword.
Format	Book
Edition	First Mariner Classics paperback edition.
Edition	75th anniversary edition.
Publication	New York : Mariner Classics, 2025.
Description	xix, 216 pages ; 21 cm
Subjects	Cybernetics. Cybernetics--Social aspects. Technology--Social aspects.

Abstract	"In 1950, mathematician-philosopher Norbert Wiener ended this classic book on the place of machines in society with a warning: "We shall never receive the right answers to our questions unless we ask the right questions.... The hour is very late, and the choice of good and evil knocks at our door." Wiener, the founder of the science of cybernetics--the study of the relationship between computers and the human nervous system--was widely mislabeled as an advocate for the automation of human life. As The Human Use for Human Beings reveals, his vision was much more complex and interesting, and is more relevant in today's world of AI than anyone could have anticipated. In his new introduction, Brian Christian aptly calls Wiener the "progenitor of contemporary AI-safety discourse." Wiener hoped that machines would release people from relentless and repetitive drudgery to achieve more creative pursuits, yet he anticipated the danger of dehumanizing and displacement. His pioneering views on the human-machine relationship as a "communicative process" are only more crucial now, as we carry in our pockets AI devices that we can literally speak to. His prescient warnings illuminate our contemporary relationships with language, art, and even social media. The Human Use of Human Beings examines the implications of cybernetics for education, law, language, science, technology, as Wiener anticipates the enormous impact--in effect, a third industrial revolution--that the computer has had on our lives."-- Provided by publisher
General note	Originally published as The human use of human beings : cybernetics and society in the United States of America in 1950 by Houghton Mifflin."--Title page verso
General note	Includes index
General note	"Forword copyright ©2025 by Brian Christian."--Title page vero
Original version	Originally published: Boston, Mass. : Houghton Mifflin, 1950.
ISBN	0063423197
ISBN	9780063423190 (paperback)
Standard identifier#	CIPO000257093

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Joyner	General Stacks	Q175 .W546 2025	✔ Available	Place Hold

The human use of human beings : cybernetics and society / Norbert Wiener ; foreword by Brian Christian.

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