Norbert Wiener
Professor Norbert Wiener (1894-1964) is best known for his contributions to the fields of mathematics and philosophy and is considered the founder of cybernetics, the science of communication relating to living things and machines. A child prodigy, Weiner earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Tufts College at 14, his masters in philosophy at 17 from Cornell, and a PhD from Harvard at 19 years old. Wiener became Professor of Mathematics at MIT and would spend over 40 years of his life teaching at the Institute, from 1919 to 1960. Taking a keen interest in the scientific developments occurring in India, Wiener traveled there a number of times, lecturing at various institutions, collaborating with fellow scientists, and touching the lives of many students and scientists.
Professor Norbert Wiener Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Norbert Wiener and Mrs. Wiener with Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in Kolkata, India, 1956 Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Around the World
“In every country, I shall not merely be a delegate from America but a serious participant in the scientific life of the country and a guest of that country.” - Norbert Wiener
Wiener took a special interest in learning and teaching not only at the Institute, but all around the world, visiting France, Mexico, Japan, China, and India. Having the greatest respect for scientific work being done outside Western countries, Wiener visited Japan and China in 1935. He spent a year in China, teaching at the Tsinghua University in Peking (Beijing), which he considered one of the most delightful experiences in his life. During his time in Japan, he gave lectures on his mathematical findings at a number of universities including Tokyo University. While on his trips, Wiener became well acquainted with scientists of the countries he was in and stayed in touch with them both in an academic sense and on a personal level for long after, even visiting Japan again in 1956, at the invitation of colleagues from his first trip.
Norbert Wiener in Japan, 1935 Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Norbert Wiener in China, 1935 Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Interest in India
On his return from Asia to MIT, Wiener’s interest in India was sparked and he developed a close relationship with a number of students from India and served as their mentor. Among these were Amar G. Bose and Ram Prasad. While in Cambridge, MA, Wiener started taking note of the scientific developments taking place in India, and was eager to see them for himself. After independence in 1947, as India embarked on an ambitious project of nation-building by investing in several technological and scientific institutions, many scientists at various universities in India reached out to Wiener, encouraging him to visit the country to inspire students and fellow scientists.
Amar G. Bose to Prof. Wiener on eve of his departure to India, June 24, 1955
Yuk Wing Lee, Amar G. Bose, and Norbert Wiener at chalkboard Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Norbert Wiener encouraged Amar Bose to visit India.
Weiner was in frequent communication with Ram Prasad’s brother-in-law, Professor D. D. Kosambi of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India. In 1952, Mr. D. Chakravarti, General Secretary of the Indian Science Congress Association, invited Wiener on behalf of the Government of India and the Indian Science Congress Association India to attend the 40th Session of the Indian Science Congress. Although he could not accept this invitation due to other travel commitments, Weiner responded, “I am very much interested in India, Indians, and Indian science, and hope some way can be found to make my trip possible in the future.”
Wiener’s Letter to Professor Kosambi, January 4, 1947
Wiener to Mr. D. Chakravarti, General Secretary, Indian Science Congress Association, October 2, 1952
Wiener to Dr. M. S. Sundaram, October 10, 1952
Travel to India
Norbert Wiener in India, 1954 Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Norbert Wiener with Mathematical Society at Benares University in India, 1954 Courtesy of the MIT Museum
The 41st Annual Session of the Indian Science Congress was attended by guests of extreme honor including the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, Director of the Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research and founder of the Atomic Energy Establishment invited Wiener to attend a dinner post the Congress Session which Nehru was attending as well, setting the stage for the two to meet in a more personal setting. Dr. Bhabha also requested Weiner to deliver a series of 3 lectures at the Tata Institute on any mathematical topic of Wiener’s choosing. Weiner also lectured at the Bengal College of Engineering on modern mathematical methods in physics and engineering and The Institute of Science in Mumbai. Birendra C. Gupta ‘1907, MS ‘1922, MIT’s first South Asian undergraduate student had taught at the Bengal College of Engineering nearly half a century before Weiner’s visit.
P. Masani, a scientist at The Institute of Science, wrote to Wiener thanking him for his mathematical collaboration at Calcutta, which he remarked “was certainly a vitally important and extremely interesting experience” and that he “would have gone astray at almost every other juncture” had it not been for Wiener’s guidance.
Dr. U. P. Basu, General Secretary of Indian Science Congress Association Invitation to Wiener, June 5, 1953
Dr. H. J. Bhabha of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Invitation to Dinner with PM Nehru, December 19, 1953
Wiener’s Invitation to meet Prime Minister Nehru
P. Masani of The Institute of Science to Wiener, June 2, 1956
Wiener Gives Lecture on Conditions in India Following Trip Abroad
Professor Wiener returned to India a year later at the invitation of Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893-1972), who invited him to work at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in late 1955. Mahalanobis founded the ISI in 1931, which would become a major international institution by the 1950s, remaining important today. Mahalanobis saw the ISI as an important contribution to the development of technical expertise within India. He invested a lot of time and effort in convincing world leaders in statistics, science, engineering and other fields to visit the ISI, as an alternative to sending his students abroad. Prof. Wiener was amongst these brilliant experts, who Mahalanobis first met in Cambridge in early 1953. Wiener shared Mahalanobis’ interest in assisting India’s development, amidst some concerns for negatives surrounding factory automation and technologies we see in the 21st century, and ended up teaching at the ISI for seven months.
Norbert Wiener seminar at the Indian Statistical Institute, 1956 Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Norbert Wiener planting mango sapling in India, 1956 Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Wiener arrived at the ISI at a historic time for India as Mahalanobis had been appointed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to draw up India’s Second Five Year Plan that focused on rapid industrialization and the development of the public sector based on statistical analysis and research at the ISI. Weiner was impressed with what the people and institutions he collaborated with.
Mahanalobis to Wiener 1953 Letter
Wiener to Mahanalobis, April 1953 Letter
Mahalanobis to Wiener, June 1953 Letter
“A majority of Professor Wiener’s correspondences were from students and fellow academics and scientists all around the world highlighting Wiener’s global reach as a renowned mathematician. Evident through his frequent communications and travels, Professor Wiener especially strived to stay connected with the scientific community in India. So many of those who Wiener met abroad continued to stay in touch with him, reaching out to him for his expertise, advice, and mentorship, and Wiener cherished these relationships. A challenge he gladly undertook, Wiener made every effort to share his findings with the larger scientific community all over the world as he held the utmost respect for all those who shared his intellectual curiosity for cybernetics, mathematics, philosophy, and more.” - Akshaya Seetharam, Wellesley 2025, Student Researcher