IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2015 - 59

He likens the occurrence of invention to the occurrence
of lightning strikes. While largely sporadic, the conditions favorable or unfavorable to lightning strikes are
known, and can be harnessed in either promoting or
suppressing them. Wiener argues that one way of bringing about such favorable conditions for invention is to
allow cross-fertilization of disciplines. To promote this
he recommends the use of mathematics for its neutrality and precision [1, p. 26].

Wiener Prefigured Design-Cybernetic Concepts
Implicit in his actions and explicit in his writings, Wiener prefigured design-cybernetic concepts long before
design theory became an academic research area.
Thus, Wiener was not only a designer of cybernetics, but
also an early cybernetician of design - a legacy that has
not yet been fully recognized.

Author Information
The author is with the Department of Architecture, Xi'an
Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China 215123.
Email: Thomas.Fischer@xjtlu.edu.cn.

Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges valuable feedback from Jessica Sewell, Timothy Jachna, Andrew Johnston, and
Larry Richards.

References

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