A Teacher
Claude Shannon
He turned the slippery notion of information into a precise, measurable quantity, giving the mind-as-machine its mathematical bedrock.
The transmission
Claude Elwood Shannon (1916–2001) was an American mathematician and electrical engineer who founded information theory with his 1948 paper ‘A Mathematical Theory of Communication.’ He defined information mathematically in terms of entropy, established the bit as its fundamental unit, and proved the limits of reliable transmission over noisy channels.
His master’s thesis had earlier shown that Boolean algebra could describe electrical switching circuits, laying groundwork for digital computing. He was a participant in the Macy cybernetics circle and built early game-playing and maze-solving machines.
What they gave
Information theory: His 1948 “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” founded the field, defining information as entropy and the bit as its fundamental unit.
- Limits of transmission: Proved the bounds of reliable communication over noisy channels.
- Boolean switching: His master’s thesis showed Boolean algebra could describe electrical switching circuits, laying groundwork for digital computing.
- Early thinking machines: Built game-playing and maze-solving machines within the Macy cybernetics circle.
In their words
The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.
The line they stand in
Taught by / Influenced by: George Boole’s logic; Harry Nyquist’s signal theory; and the cybernetic vision of Norbert Wiener.
- Taught / Influenced: Norbert Wiener and John von Neumann; the neural-logic work of Warren McCulloch; and later computational theorists of mind such as Joscha Bach.
Revelations they taught
Essential Works
- A Mathematical Theory of Communication1948
- A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits1938
- Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems1949