Memories of Norbert Wiener

Deborah G. Douglas of the MIT Museum moderated a panel drawing on the museum's collection of over 150 images of Wiener and the personal recollections of those who knew him. Wiener's grandson recalled his playful nature, while other speakers shared anecdotes revealing a complex personality who joked about his "terrible forgetary" and sometimes cultivated his absent-minded persona deliberately.

Tom Sheridan described the famous "Skeptic Seminar" that Wiener hosted, a forum for rigorous intellectual debate. A Russian scientist recounted how Wiener's work profoundly influenced Soviet intellectuals despite official disapproval. The panel closed with a poignant reminder of the affection Wiener inspired: after his death in 1964, his colleagues wrote simply, "We loved him." The session painted a rich, multifaceted picture of Wiener as both a towering intellect and a deeply human figure.