Amanda Gefter, writing in Nautilus, profiles Walter Pitts: Thus formed the beginnings of the group who would become known as the cyberneticians, with Wiener, Pitts, McCulloch, Lettvin, and von Neumann its core. And among this rarified group, the formerly homeless runaway stood out. “None of us would think of publishing a paper without his corrections […]
Tag: Lettvin
A look back at the Lettvin-Leary debate
It’s always fun, in a peculiar way, to look at video of the debate between Jerry Lettvin and Timothy Leary, held in 1967 at MIT, and broadcast on public television station WGBH. This was about whether it was a bad idea or a good idea to use psychedelic drugs to “drop out” of mainstream society. […]
What the frog’s eye tells the frog’s brain
The memorial for Jerry Lettvin — a full day of stories, scientific talks, and maybe even some performances — happens this Sunday (September 25), at MIT, in [building/room] 32-123, starting at 9:00 am. The photo here shows Maggie and Jerry, way back when. Maggie will be at the memorial. In case you’ve never seen it, here’s […]