The Man from the Future - SFBA Book Club

English language

Published March 13, 2021 by Penguin Books, Limited.

ISBN:: 978-0-241-39885-2

(1 review)

The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Self-replicating moon bases and nuclear weapons. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable man: John von Neumann.

Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. His colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet - bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory. He created the first ever programmable digital computer. He prophesied the potential of nanotechnology and, from his deathbed, expounded on the limits of brains and computers - and how they might be overcome.

Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through so many …

The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Self-replicating moon bases and nuclear weapons. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable man: John von Neumann.

Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. His colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet - bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory. He created the first ever programmable digital computer. He prophesied the potential of nanotechnology and, from his deathbed, expounded on the limits of brains and computers - and how they might be overcome.

Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through so many different fields of science, sparking revolutions wherever he went.

Insightful and illuminating, The Man from the Future is a thrilling intellectual biography of the visionary thinker who shaped our century.

6 editions

phonner reviewed The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya

Review of "The Man from the Future" by Ananyo Bhattacharya

5 stars

The fascinating life of John von Neumann, as told through his direct impact on the foundations of mathematics, quantum mechanics, the atomic bomb, game theory, the invention of the computer, and the early theory of artificial intelligence. Von Neumann was at once a timeless genius and a product of his time, driven both by the power of pure logic and his life experiences in pre-war Europe, and his impact on the narrative of his time through his scientific work and his influence on American military policy is remarkable. As with many stories of genius, the book downplays von Neumann's personal shortcomings, which seem a stark contrast to his brilliance in understanding the nature of science and society. But it is a great read and a fascinating story of science, history, and a truly unique figure.

Subjects

Mathematics