Man from the Future

"The Man from the Future" tries to do two separate things and gets mixed-to-positive results: starting as a biography of a great luminary of the twentieth century, rooted in the historical moment he grew up into and fled from, it gradually transforms into a collection of essays on the main scientific and technological revolutions from WWII to our present and beyond. In all of those - the bomb, the space age, computing, artificial intelligence and more - von Neumann had a defining role and was indeed a visionary; the latter chapters dazzle at times with the thinkers and doers that get entangled in some debate or other. The life philosophy of the refugee from the lost world of Jewish Central Europe is threaded through the dilemmas discussed, but the melding together of the two 'books' within the shortish title leaves something to be desired

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.