Scan barcode
inquiry_from_an_anti_library's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
1.0
Is This An Overview?
John von Neumann’s logic and mathematic skill effected civilization. Brought up in a culture that prioritized intellectual ability. Abilities that were used in the development of game theory, a method of making decisions based on how everyone is affected by a decision reacts to the decision. Game theory was used in understanding war decisions. John von Neumann participated in the war effort, and was part of the development of bombs and improved their trajectory accuracy. Developments which enabled the foundation of computers, and artificial intelligence.
Caveats?
Much of the book is a description of various forms of mathematics, that would be better understood by those who already know the complexity of mathematics.
yates9's review against another edition
4.0
A good romp across the world of Von Neumann and his history. Some minor unusual omissions in credit but a good reconstruction of the breadth of areas Von Neumann worked in.
The book is a summary biography and does not convey the details except in some particular moments in his works.
The book is a summary biography and does not convey the details except in some particular moments in his works.
tahnok's review against another edition
4.0
Good history of the man at the beginning of much of modern computing
b12563's review
5.0
This biography read like a history of selected science of the 20th and it is its main strength. Von Neumann is a unique figure that changes the course of science and history and the book is very detailed.
mrdylancollins's review
5.0
Highly recommended. Given the impact that Von Neumann had on the world, everyone should read this excellently written bio.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
I’m regularly trying to read books outside of my wheelhouse of knowledge, and sometimes it goes terribly because I can get bored easily. This book from Ananyo Bhattacharya is about as far away from my normal circle of interest as you can get, but I really enjoyed this book about the life of John von Neumann. Von Neumann is one of the most important scientists of the 20th century that many of us have never heard of, but when I saw Ananyo talking about his upcoming book on Twitter, I knew I wanted to check it out.
I’m typically interested in books about psychology, philosophy, and maybe some neuroscience. John von Neumann was a math guy, and he was instrumental in the origins of quantum mechanics, a topic I know nothing about, and then he was involved in so many other aspects of science that affect us today. Each chapter covers a different field of study that von Neumann was involved in, which includes the atom bomb, computers, game theory, and so much more.
Typically, biographies and books about history bore me, but the author really captured my attention. I think the best part about this book is that Ananyo is an excellent science communicator, so his writing helped me grasp many of these topics that I know virtually nothing about. Whether you’re someone interested in physics, math, and other sciences or someone like me, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book.
I’m typically interested in books about psychology, philosophy, and maybe some neuroscience. John von Neumann was a math guy, and he was instrumental in the origins of quantum mechanics, a topic I know nothing about, and then he was involved in so many other aspects of science that affect us today. Each chapter covers a different field of study that von Neumann was involved in, which includes the atom bomb, computers, game theory, and so much more.
Typically, biographies and books about history bore me, but the author really captured my attention. I think the best part about this book is that Ananyo is an excellent science communicator, so his writing helped me grasp many of these topics that I know virtually nothing about. Whether you’re someone interested in physics, math, and other sciences or someone like me, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book.
mikecross's review against another edition
4.0
This far more than a biography; the author explores von Neumann's ideas from birth to present day, and traces history as well. Superbly written and presented, highly recommended for anyone with an interest in science. Wow, what a book!
bradenkwebb's review
5.0
Extremely well-written intellectual biography. This book was about von Neumann’s ideas much more than about his life. I really appreciated how Bhattacharya was able to adequately convey the incredible range, depth, and brilliance of The Martian’s genius without glorifying the the man himself.
I learned from this book that John von Neumann:
- was a child prodigy
- was possibly the smartest person I’ve ever heard of
- was one of the most influential people of the last century, in terms of his lasting impact
- was a privileged bourgeois elitist
Also, I hadn’t realized just how many of the world’s top scientists were Jewish immediately before WWII.
Most of the chapters each covered a different field—his contributions to the foundations of mathematics (starting as a kid); quantum physics; nuclear weapons, ballistics, and the Manhattan project; founding the entire field of game theory; and self-replication and automata theory (prior to the discovery of DNA). Oh, he also did some stuff with computer science I think.
All I really knew about him beforehand was his contributions to CPU architectures and his interactions with Gödel, so it was fun to gain some background and context on all of those other topics during the ‘30s-‘50s.
I definitely recommend the book, but I’ll also note that since I didn’t really know much about von Neumann before, I can’t really speak to its factuality or historicity.
I learned from this book that John von Neumann:
- was a child prodigy
- was possibly the smartest person I’ve ever heard of
- was one of the most influential people of the last century, in terms of his lasting impact
- was a privileged bourgeois elitist
Also, I hadn’t realized just how many of the world’s top scientists were Jewish immediately before WWII.
Most of the chapters each covered a different field—his contributions to the foundations of mathematics (starting as a kid); quantum physics; nuclear weapons, ballistics, and the Manhattan project; founding the entire field of game theory; and self-replication and automata theory (prior to the discovery of DNA). Oh, he also did some stuff with computer science I think.
All I really knew about him beforehand was his contributions to CPU architectures and his interactions with Gödel, so it was fun to gain some background and context on all of those other topics during the ‘30s-‘50s.
I definitely recommend the book, but I’ll also note that since I didn’t really know much about von Neumann before, I can’t really speak to its factuality or historicity.