It takes a polymath: Norbert Wiener's influence on the early internet

In his recent writings on metaphysics, the social theorist and philosopher Jtirgen Habermas advances the notion of highlighting inspirational figures working to advance the normative values underpinning democratic principles (Cooke 2006, Habermas 2008, 2003). Although Habermas himself counts as one such figure for his lifelong defense of the modern project, this paper puts forward the polymath Norbert Wiener as another such inspirational figure who, through his tireless promotion of a public awareness of the ethics of large computer systems, effectively advanced the ancient Greek tradition of ethics into the computer age that established the field of information ethics (Moor 1985:182). At once a mathematician, scientist, engineer and philosopher, Wiener felt that because the development of large computer networks would present ethical challenges, computer scientists should be cognizant of the impact of their own activities in a broader human context (Bynum 2004:66). Believing the ideas he possessed belonged to the times rather than himself (Masani 1990:288), Wiener used his influence among the scientific and technical communities, as well as the public at large, to promote a greater awareness of the enormous social, ethical and political implications of the computer age. Although he did not live long enough to witness the development of ARPANET in 1969, this paper uses Brey's disclosive ethics to trace Norbert Wiener's influence on the early internet's most important characteristics-the decentralized control characteristics of the distributed network that evolved, the universal architecture and openness of the technology, and the evolution of a culture of collaboration that gave rise to its most important and far-reaching innovations.