The Good, the Bad, and the Often Hilarious

Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman closed the conference with a wide-ranging presentation on the turbulent later chapters of Wiener's life. They described the painful 1952 breach between Wiener and the McCulloch-Lettvin-Pitts circle, a rupture that had devastating personal consequences, particularly for the brilliant Walter Pitts, who descended into substance abuse following the split. The biographers also detailed Wiener's principled ethical stands against military research and revealed the extent of CIA involvement in cybernetics research during the Cold War.

Conway and Siegelman recounted Wiener's visits to India, where he advised Prime Minister Nehru against pursuing English-style industrialization, advocating instead for a development path that honored India's own cultural and economic circumstances. They concluded by noting the paradox that Wiener remains largely unknown in the United States, and especially in Silicon Valley, despite having anticipated many of the most consequential technological and ethical challenges of the digital age. The presentation served as both a celebration and a lament, honoring a thinker whose influence vastly outstrips his public recognition.