John von Neumann

In this course

Von Neumann appears as a foundational figure in cybernetics whose mathematical and computational vision—particularly through his work on automata and the Manhattan Project's computing requirements—established the template for total systemic rationalization that defines modern control society. The readings situate him alongside Wiener as a key architect of the cybernetic method itself, the universal framework that subsumes bureaucratic and capitalist logic into algorithmic modeling. He functions in the course arguments as a historical origin point for how abstract mathematical reasoning became weaponized as a global technology of governance and prediction.

Mentioned in 2 readings