MANIAC
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- Create Date：2023-11-02 12:21:47
- Update Date：2025-09-15
- Status：finish
- Author：Benjamín Labatut
- ISBN：B0CK9R61RK
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Summary
Una novela vertiginosa sobre los límites del pensamiento y los delirios de la razón。 Un inquietante tríptico sobre los sueños del siglo XX y las pesadillas del siglo XXI， MANIAC explora los límites de la razón trazando el camino que va desde los fundamentos de las matemáticas hasta los delirios de la inteligencia artificial。 Guiado por la enigmática figura de John von Neumann， un moderno Prometeo que hizo más que nadie por crear el mundo que habitamos y adelantar el futuro que se avecina， en este libro Benjamín Labatut se sumerge en las tormentas de fuego de las bombas atómicas， en las mortíferas estrategias de la Guerra Fría y en el nacimiento del universo digital。 La obra comienza con un en 1933 Paul Ehrenfest， físico austriaco y amigo íntimo de Einstein， acabó con la vida de su propio hijo antes de suicidarse， convencido de que el alma de la ciencia había sido corrompida por el mismo mal que impulsaba el surgimiento del nazismo。 Algunos de los temores de Ehrenfest se hacen realidad en el personaje central del volumen， el matemático húngaro von Neumann， un ser dotado de un cerebro tan extraordinario que sus colegas lo consideraban el próximo paso en la evolución humana。 Durante una meteórica carrera， von Neumann sentó las bases matemáticas de la mecánica cuántica， ayudó a diseñar las bombas nucleares， desarrolló la teoría de los juegos y creó el primer computador moderno。 Al final de su vida， ya convertido en un engranaje clave del complejo industrial-militar， dio rienda suelta a un impulso creativo que lo llevó a contemplar ideas que podrían amenazar la primacía de nuestra «Para el progreso no hay cura»， dijo tras presagiar la llegada de una singularidad esencial， un punto de inflexión en la historia más allá del cual los asuntos humanos tal como los conocemos no podrían continuar。 MANIAC culmina con la batalla entre un hombre y una má Lee Sedol， gran maestro de Go， desafía al programa de inteligencia artificial AlphaGo en cinco agónicos juegos que sirven como advertencia sobre los retos a los que nos tendremos que enfrentar a medida que nuestras creaciones tecnológicas adquieran cada vez mayor independencia。 Tras aquel fenómeno inclasificable que fue Un verdor terrible ， MANIAC confirma a Benjamín Labatut como una de las voces más originales de la literatura contemporánea。
Reviews
max abrams
，
The man can write。 I hope hiscatalog gets translated asap。
Jake Bornheimer
，
Overall poorly written， in the sense that no characters have identifiable voices （save for Feynman and the truly terrible Bigelow sections）。 This is annoying even if Labatut's own voice is nice enough。 The overarching throughline/argument is poorly conceived too， since Neumann's （actual） influence on artificial intelligence as we understand it now is tenuous at best。 The book is also slavishly devoted to reinforcing them myth of the tortured genius， which is both dull and untrue。 It's a shame si Overall poorly written， in the sense that no characters have identifiable voices （save for Feynman and the truly terrible Bigelow sections）。 This is annoying even if Labatut's own voice is nice enough。 The overarching throughline/argument is poorly conceived too， since Neumann's （actual） influence on artificial intelligence as we understand it now is tenuous at best。 The book is also slavishly devoted to reinforcing them myth of the tortured genius， which is both dull and untrue。 It's a shame since the concept of the book as well as the first （separate） chapter about Ehrenfest was fantastic。 。。。more
Rhianne Larson
，
Color me terrified。
Leslie P。
，
I feel like I am on a roll of reading books about mad geniuses （Robert Oppenheimer， Elon Musk， Sam Bankman Fried， and now John von Neumann。） In this book， partly fictionalized， the parts describing John von Neumann and his life were interesting， but the last section， about AI and the game of Go was very boring。 I get that von Neumann was the “father of AI，” but this rather long section does not really tie in with the rest of the book。
Christopher Pegg
，
Fascinating。 Von Neumann was brilliant and monstrous。 He’s nothing compared to the potential of AI though。 Laughing to keep from crying。 The structure of the book confused me for the first couple of “chapters。” Writing was fresh and clean。
Ryan
，
Wow。 Chilling， feverish。 I've never read anything quite like this。 I don't think anything has deeply unsettled me like this with regard to AI in my entire life。 I'm blown away and horrified。 Heartened but a tad hopeless。 Just so， so good。This is a work of historical fact written as a work of fiction about self-teaching AI and how early physicists and theorists went mad building the foundation for it， but it reads like an absolute page-turner。 Wow。 Chilling， feverish。 I've never read anything quite like this。 I don't think anything has deeply unsettled me like this with regard to AI in my entire life。 I'm blown away and horrified。 Heartened but a tad hopeless。 Just so， so good。This is a work of historical fact written as a work of fiction about self-teaching AI and how early physicists and theorists went mad building the foundation for it， but it reads like an absolute page-turner。 。。。more
Plainqoma
，
It was hard reading this knowing all the physicists and scientists contributed their work and studies for wars and potential genocides around the world。
Emily
，
Interesting mix of fact and fiction。 Not sure it needed the final section though。
Luis Le drac
，
Siento ser una nota discordante。 Primero de los libros del Plan de Lecturas No Conseguidas。 “Maniac” de Labatut y para mí es un No。 Tal vez hayan sido las expectativas， y eso que no he leído， aunque lo haré， su famoso “Verdor…”， y eso que tampoco había visto las incontables cinco estrellas con las que lo han calificado en Goodreads， que vale que no es el sanctasanctórum de la crítica literaria， pero para algo ha de servir y las críticas ditirámbicas en Twitter， que haylas。 Que vale， que me he fi Siento ser una nota discordante。 Primero de los libros del Plan de Lecturas No Conseguidas。 “Maniac” de Labatut y para mí es un No。 Tal vez hayan sido las expectativas， y eso que no he leído， aunque lo haré， su famoso “Verdor…”， y eso que tampoco había visto las incontables cinco estrellas con las que lo han calificado en Goodreads， que vale que no es el sanctasanctórum de la crítica literaria， pero para algo ha de servir y las críticas ditirámbicas en Twitter， que haylas。 Que vale， que me he fiado y que tal vez sea yo y no Labatut， y que tal vez sea esa nueva obra maestra， pero no。 No， no。 Tal vez， no。 El libro tiene bastante para triunfar por sí solo， porque el personaje lo vale。 No haría falta autor para disfrutarlo。 Con su vida en Wikipedia， ya me siento atrapado。 Basa el núcleo del libro en la vida John von Neumann。 Matemático， pero llevado al límite。 Matemático de todo el día dándole a los números y sí， un ser excepcional。 Brillante， ambicioso e inútil socialmente。 Vamos， de manual。 Participó en el proyecto Manhattan， pero eso ya lo han contado mejor en el libro de Oppenheimer， y encima en la contraportada lo identifican a von Neumann con Prometeo， pero hombre， no。 De eso ya nos hemos cansado este verano。 Que si Barbie， que si Oppenheimer， que si Barbiheimer。 No me digáis que ahora viene Barbineumann。 Un poco de originalidad， y con un Prometeo nos vale， como Batman。 Siendo más serio， no me gusta que el autor tenga una visión tan presentista de la vida y avances del científico。 Como Labatut sabe en el momento en el que nos encontramos， parte con ventaja y parte ya de la tesis para ofrecernos las premisas。 Trampa。 Mejor al contrario。 Von Neumann es un tipo brillante， pero ¿sería hoy ese tipo tan excepcional que nos quiere hacer ver Labatut？ Brillante sí。 Prometeo no y esa especie de ser de luz único tampoco。 Qué más。 Entiendo cuál es la tesis。 El autor nos quiere plantear diferentes intentos， por parte de tipos muy listos， de vencer a la mente a través de una supuesta inteligencia artificial。 Desentrañar la mente humana。 Vale， acepto。 Pero el esqueleto del libro desentona。 Primero habla de un científico， que no sabes muy bien adónde quiere llegar。 Acaba。 Viene von Neumann。 Gran parte del libro es suya。 Contada su vida no por él， sino por la gente que le rodea。 Esto me ha gustado。 En vez de darle más juego y ofrecer una mayor literatulidad a su vida， corta y empieza con otro ser superdotado y se enrolla en los intentos que lleva a cabo para vencer en un juego milenario， mucho más complejo que el ajedrez， que lo ha petado siempre en Asia y que es la bomba。 Por supuesto， también se habla de Deep blue y Kasparov， que ya es algo muy manido y que está demodé。 Me suena a peli de los ochenta o noventa。 Bien， el otro juego es el Go y se pierde en contarnos las partidas que la máquina juega con el mejor goísta （o como se llame）。 Y se pierde。 Y me pierdo。 Y me salto la jugada 78 que parece la bomba y los lloros como una magdalena del mejor goísta o goer o lo que sea。 Y me pierdo。 Y voy a Goodreads y digo pero qué libro has leído。 Tú eres un algoritmo como el Alpha Go de las narices que me la quiere colar y que me la ha colado。 Oye， y que tal vez el libro esté bien， pero para goers o goístas。 Si a alguien le ha gustado， le reto en duelo a una partida al Go， pero a la jugada 78 no llegamos， eh。 Ya me decís。 。。。more
George K。
，
Αν και αγόρασα αμέσως όταν κυκλοφόρησε στα ελληνικά το "Όταν παύουμε να καταλαβαίνουμε τον κόσμο"， το πιο γνωστό βιβλίο του Μπενχαμίν Λαμπατούτ， τελικά έτυχε η πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του να είναι το "MANIAC"， που κυκλοφόρησε τόσο στο εξωτερικό όσο και στην Ελλάδα μέσα στον Οκτώβριο。 Η αλήθεια είναι ότι αυτό το εξώφυλλο με τράβηξε πάρα πολύ， όπως φυσικά και η γενική θεματολογία του βιβλίου: Λοιπόν， πρόκειται για ένα πολύ καλό βιβλίο， για μια ιδιαίτερη μίξη ιστορικού μυθιστορήματος， βιογραφίας Αν και αγόρασα αμέσως όταν κυκλοφόρησε στα ελληνικά το "Όταν παύουμε να καταλαβαίνουμε τον κόσμο"， το πιο γνωστό βιβλίο του Μπενχαμίν Λαμπατούτ， τελικά έτυχε η πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του να είναι το "MANIAC"， που κυκλοφόρησε τόσο στο εξωτερικό όσο και στην Ελλάδα μέσα στον Οκτώβριο。 Η αλήθεια είναι ότι αυτό το εξώφυλλο με τράβηξε πάρα πολύ， όπως φυσικά και η γενική θεματολογία του βιβλίου: Λοιπόν， πρόκειται για ένα πολύ καλό βιβλίο， για μια ιδιαίτερη μίξη ιστορικού μυθιστορήματος， βιογραφίας και εκλαϊκευμένης επιστήμης， με ορισμένες φιλοσοφικές προεκτάσεις。 Το μεγαλύτερο μέρος του βιβλίου έχει να κάνει με τον Τζον φον Νόιμαν， έναν κορυφαίο μαθηματικό που προσέφερε πάρα πολλά σε κλάδους όπως τα μαθηματικά， η φυσική， η βιολογία， η πληροφορική， τα οικονομικά κ。λπ。， για τον οποίο μαθαίνουμε ένα σωρό ενδιαφέροντα πράγματα για τη ζωή， το έργο και τον τρόπο σκέψης του， μέσω των αφηγήσεων από φίλους， συγγενείς， συνεργάτες και ανταγωνιστές που μιλάνε για τον Τζον φον Νόιμαν， αυτή την ιδιοφυΐα。 Ένα σημαντικό κομμάτι από ένα σημείο μέχρι το τέλος， ασχολείται και με το παιχνίδι Γκο， τον Νοτιοκορεάτη μαιτρ Λι Σεντόλ και την αναμέτρησή του με την τεχνητή νοημοσύνη AlphaGo， δείχνοντάς μας και την εξέλιξη που υπάρχει από τον πρώτο υπολογιστή μέχρι την τεχνητή νοημοσύνη που έχει μπει για τα καλά στη ζωή μας。 Οφείλω να πω ότι αυτό το κομμάτι δεν με κράτησε και τόσο πολύ όσο το κομμάτι που είχε σχέση με τον Τζον φον Νόιμαν （που ήταν για μένα πέντε ατόφια αστεράκια）， όμως δεν μπορώ να παραβλέψω πόσο ωραία ήταν γραμμένο και αυτό το κομμάτι， όπως φυσικά και ολόκληρο το βιβλίο: Ναι， η γραφή είναι πάρα πολύ καλή， εξαιρετικά ευκολοδιάβαστη αλλά όχι απλοϊκή， κυλάει σαν γάργαρο νερό και παρά τις όποιες επιστημονικές λεπτομέρειες σε κανένα σημείο δεν ένιωσα να χάνομαι ή να κουράζομαι， αντίθετα διάβασα και απόλαυσα το βιβλίο σαν ένα συναρπαστικό θρίλερ！ Γενικά， ένα εξαιρετικό βιβλίο， ιδιαίτερα καλογραμμένο και ευκολοδιάβαστο， που προσφέρει μπόλικη τροφή για σκέψη και δίνει πολλές αφορμές για ενδιαφέρουσες συζητήσεις。 Για μένα， το πέμπτο αστεράκι το έχασε στο τέλος λόγω του τελευταίου κομματιού （μιλάμε πάντα για υποκειμενική άποψη）， αλλά αυτό δεν αναιρεί το γεγονός ότι είναι ένα πολύ δυνατό και ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο που με καθήλωσε。 。。。more
Namal
，
A compulsively readable novel。 I did find it generally overwrought， but I was too entertained to mind this too much。 The second act of the book， centered on von Neumann， is the strongest。 I liked how he is portrayed by his loved ones and associates in third person narratives that dovetail nicely into one another。 The third act relied too heavily on exposition; it read like a lightly dressed up summary of AI developments that could have been lifted from Wikipedia。A few stray thoughts:Humans carry A compulsively readable novel。 I did find it generally overwrought， but I was too entertained to mind this too much。 The second act of the book， centered on von Neumann， is the strongest。 I liked how he is portrayed by his loved ones and associates in third person narratives that dovetail nicely into one another。 The third act relied too heavily on exposition; it read like a lightly dressed up summary of AI developments that could have been lifted from Wikipedia。A few stray thoughts:Humans carry within themselves the seeds of their own destruction。 This property extends to the fruits of their labor: technology， ideas。Cancer， computers， death wish/drive （suicidal ideations） are all examples。Game theory presupposes the existence of perfectly rational human beings， with predictable means and ends。 There is a delicate balance between rationality and the recognition that human beings， singularly endowed with reason， nevertheless behave irrationally。 。。。more
Sam
，
An excellent AlphaZero promo。Makes me wish I knew more about math， or science， or anything。I enjoyed it very much！
Sergio Caredda
，
Secondo libro di Labatut che leggo in poco tempo。 Sembra una prosecuzione di “Quando abbiamo smesso di capire il mondo”， ma ha uno stile più complesso。Il protagonista è Von Neumann。 Le ricerche per le bomba atomica。 Ma soprattutto il MANIAC， il suo computer， antesignano delle architetture informatiche oggi esistenti。 E poi le digressioni sull’intelligenza artificiale。 Con un racconto conclusivo che descrive la vittoria di Deep Mind sul miglior giocatore di Go。Un itinerario avvincente。
Cheryl Sokoloff
，
A book that strives to convey the absolute beauty behind genius minds。
Trevor Parker
，
“Now I am become death， Destroyer of Worlds”While Oppenheimer rode the fence， Von Neumann couldn’t be anymore for the advancement of science and mathematics no matter the outcome。 Labatut does a great job of painting a picture of how much of a genius he is， he does an even better job of showing how terrifying he could be when it came time to see his ideas through。 I truly rate this a 3。5， but I’m rounding down to a three。 I enjoy that this story is told in a novel format。 I enjoy， for the most p “Now I am become death， Destroyer of Worlds”While Oppenheimer rode the fence， Von Neumann couldn’t be anymore for the advancement of science and mathematics no matter the outcome。 Labatut does a great job of painting a picture of how much of a genius he is， he does an even better job of showing how terrifying he could be when it came time to see his ideas through。 I truly rate this a 3。5， but I’m rounding down to a three。 I enjoy that this story is told in a novel format。 I enjoy， for the most part， that this was written from his colleagues， friends and family POV。 But somewhere during the book， about halfway or so， I couldn’t wait to finish this thing。 I think it was when they started talking about his work with the Maniac， specifically Barricelli’s work， that I had no idea what they were talking about。 It was too technical for me。 I’m not saying this is a bad thing， but as someone who doesn’t dive into this type of reading， it just wasn’t for me。 My other issue is the lack of POV from Von Neumann。 I would have loved for part three to have been from perspective since this was a work of fiction。 To be honest， I didn’t even bother reading the ending of the book about GO。 I read a few pages and it felt like a chore since the story about John was over。 Also it’s a crime that Von Neumann wasn’t represented in Oppenheimer。 What the hell Nolan？ 。。。more
Eric
，
Just like his last， Labatut's latest also plumbs the complicated lives of geniuses in his typically Latin American blend of fiction and non-。 All throughout the book he seeks out answers to the question of what we lose， sacrifice， or forfeit for the sake of knowledge。 Part 1 is about Paul Ehrenfest， a brilliant physicist who is so thrown off his game by the advent of quantum mechanics that he decides to shoot off the top of his skull。 Part 3 achieves a kind of rhyme with Part 1: Lee Sedol decide Just like his last， Labatut's latest also plumbs the complicated lives of geniuses in his typically Latin American blend of fiction and non-。 All throughout the book he seeks out answers to the question of what we lose， sacrifice， or forfeit for the sake of knowledge。 Part 1 is about Paul Ehrenfest， a brilliant physicist who is so thrown off his game by the advent of quantum mechanics that he decides to shoot off the top of his skull。 Part 3 achieves a kind of rhyme with Part 1: Lee Sedol decides to retire early from his career as world-champ player of the ancient strategy game of Go after facing off against and being crushed by an AI expressly designed to do so。 Part 2 centers on the ubermensch and alpha-nerd Johnny von Neumann: it is， by far， the lengthiest section of the book and is arranged along similar lines as the middle section of Roberto Bolaño's The Savage Detectives - in short， it approaches its subject obliquely， in a kind of rolling chorus that approximates an oral history。 We hear from childhood friends， ex-wives， American governmental brass， even his own daughter。 And all can agree that Johnny was a genius unlike any other; all can also agree that Johnny sometimes seemed more machine than man - an interesting bit of context when you learn that von Neumann was responsible for much of the design of our modern computer。 In the end， I found Part 1 more or less "perfectly" self-contained， cerebrally styled， and quasi-Sebaldian - I found Part 3 to be an interesting， albeit occasionally tangential-seeming， bit of journalism - and I found Part 2 to be a bit like von Neumann before the cancer sapped him completely: smart， quick， multivalent， but tending to bloated drunkenness。 Harold Bloom said it of Dostoevsky and I say it now of Labatut: he's a master at openings， pretty darn good at middles， and a bit of a slacker at endings。 。。。more
Adeyemi Ajao
，
If a future advanced Artificial Intelligence wants to know why we went ahead creating it knowing that it would surpass us， it just needs to read this book。The story （non-fiction that reads like fiction） turns John Von Neumann into Victor Frankenstein and AlphaZero into a Lovecraftnian Elder God。 This is a beautiful （weird， scary and hopeful） book。Labatut cites Roberto Bolaño， Alan Moore， Sebald， Lovecraft or Philip K。 Dick as influences and is obsessed with Kurt Gödel or Werner Heisenberg， so。。。 If a future advanced Artificial Intelligence wants to know why we went ahead creating it knowing that it would surpass us， it just needs to read this book。The story （non-fiction that reads like fiction） turns John Von Neumann into Victor Frankenstein and AlphaZero into a Lovecraftnian Elder God。 This is a beautiful （weird， scary and hopeful） book。Labatut cites Roberto Bolaño， Alan Moore， Sebald， Lovecraft or Philip K。 Dick as influences and is obsessed with Kurt Gödel or Werner Heisenberg， so。。。hard for me not to like！ 。。。more
Cristina
，
Creo que no soy los suficientemente inteligente para poder apreciar esta novela。 Para mi， ha sido una interminable entrada de wikipedia。
insert name
，
labatut does it again… my only question is how could lee sedol have dreamed up moves in 2006 while listening to oh my girl if the latter only debuted in 2015…
Erica Mcreynolds
，
This is a work of fiction but based in facts about the greatest math minds of the past century and how their work led us to the development of AI。 This is a well written thought provoking book。 Highly recommend！
Brian Hanson
，
It's so hard to separate the fiction from the fact in Labatut's work - the books themselves offer no clues - but they are engrossing nonetheless。 The narrative here of science's new， 20th Century， uncertainties driving its sons to madness， and of the fruits of that science possibly driving human culture to extinction in the 21st， is pursued relentlessly。 It brings one of the dangers of our present time into greater relief than any politician， or concerned techie， has yet been able to。 It is， I s It's so hard to separate the fiction from the fact in Labatut's work - the books themselves offer no clues - but they are engrossing nonetheless。 The narrative here of science's new， 20th Century， uncertainties driving its sons to madness， and of the fruits of that science possibly driving human culture to extinction in the 21st， is pursued relentlessly。 It brings one of the dangers of our present time into greater relief than any politician， or concerned techie， has yet been able to。 It is， I suppose， a tragic account of our world。 。。。more
Aaron
，
Human history took several irrevocable turns in the 20th century， any one of which may lead to the end of human history。 In his ambitious new novel， The MANIAC， Benjamin Labatut has created a beautiful and terrifying summation of these turns and the unfathomable minds （both human and not） that created them。 The book reads a bit like creative non-fiction at times and like historical fiction at others。 It is divided into three sections。 The first focuses on Paul Ehrenfest， a brilliant but seemingl Human history took several irrevocable turns in the 20th century， any one of which may lead to the end of human history。 In his ambitious new novel， The MANIAC， Benjamin Labatut has created a beautiful and terrifying summation of these turns and the unfathomable minds （both human and not） that created them。 The book reads a bit like creative non-fiction at times and like historical fiction at others。 It is divided into three sections。 The first focuses on Paul Ehrenfest， a brilliant but seemingly middling physicist who was left behind by history。 His story introduces a running theme throughout the book: the outstripping of one’s intelligence by another entity。 Ehrenfeld， unable to comprehend both the current state of physics or its potential consequences， slowly descends into madness。 The second section–the most important one–focuses on all-around hyper-genius and arguable madman John Von Neumann， a Hungarian physicist who pioneered many concepts that led to nuclear technology， modern computers， and artificial intelligence。 Part of what is so riveting about this section is the presentation of a mind that his peers described as almost superhuman。 What must it be like to wield that kind of cognitive power？ His intelligence was viewed as so terrible that when he was dying he was essentially held prisoner by the US government so that his innovations could not slip from his unhinged mind into the hands of its enemies （oh the United States…）。 Von Neumann seems to have been a restless soul， turning his intelligence quickly away from one branch of science as soon as he had dominated it in one way or another。 And as he did， the morals behind what he developed are ambiguous。 Labatut explores the consequences of nuclear power， game theory， computers， AI， etc。 The way he writes， this story becomes almost infernal。 I found myself staring wide-eyed at the page in awe of the insanity that has been wrought from these advancements。 And insanity is another prominent theme throughout the book。 Based on how many famed physicists who are presented that in one way or another lost their minds， it seems to almost go hand-in-hand either with extreme， earth-bending intelligence or with the consequences of discoveries unearthed by this intelligence。 The book almost turns into a biography of mad genius through the end of its second section。 And this mad genius unleashed unprecedented levels of insanity upon the world， the impact of which we have yet to grasp。 The final section focuses on the development of artificial intelligence technology created to defeat human players in Go， a game thought to have uniquely human properties that a machine could not possibly learn。 Having zero previous experience with the game of Go， I was still spellbound reading about the development of this technology and its showdown with the world’s greatest Go player， Lee Sedol。 Through this technology， Labatut paints the picture of a force that outstripped the wildest dreams of experts in both AI and Go in much less time than expected and points toward the staggering possibilities of its further development。Though I can intellectually grasp the immense repercussions of a concept like game theory or technology like the hydrogen bomb， Labatut’s presentation and writing hit me on a visceral emotional level。 He presents the story in the voices of many people who knew the characters therein。 Through these varying perspectives he is able to present a nuanced and striking picture of the effects of the blind progress of pure science that really shook me as I read。 Given that I know next to nothing about physics and can barely do basic math， I was a little reluctant to dive into a book focusing on some of the greatest mathematical minds of the 20th century。 But I was pleased to find that I was able to appreciate their various developments without needing to be a physicist。 I realized yet again that any topic can be fascinating in the hands of a great author。 This book is not only rife with philosophical and moral questions， it reads like a thriller。 I essentially couldn’t put it down once I picked it up。 It was easily one of my favorite contemporary novels。 I’m sitting in its afterglow currently， so I probably don’t have a great view of where it will stack up amongst my favorite books of the past few years （or even all time）， but I can’t imagine it being very far from the top。 Absolutely radiant。 。。。more
Eric
，
Features include loooong dull patches， a protagonist who is as boring as he is morally repugnant， and some cringe prose and period dialogue （presumably because the author has never written a novel in English before？）。So maybe John von Neumann’s problematic ethics are ostensibly the point， or a big part of it; It’s not a point that’s very well made。 Not every neurodivergent math genius blithely goes along with a series of government programs designed to extirpate humanity。 And the Rashomon-style Features include loooong dull patches， a protagonist who is as boring as he is morally repugnant， and some cringe prose and period dialogue （presumably because the author has never written a novel in English before？）。So maybe John von Neumann’s problematic ethics are ostensibly the point， or a big part of it; It’s not a point that’s very well made。 Not every neurodivergent math genius blithely goes along with a series of government programs designed to extirpate humanity。 And the Rashomon-style portrait of him that emerges in other characters’ descriptions fails to illuminate his interiority all that much。Some reviewers have especially panned the last quarter of the book， which brings us up as far as 2019 and follows 9 nan Go champion Lee Sedol’s loss to DeepMind’s AlphaGo， but I found it to be the most engaging part; at least it has characters with some depth and a brisk， compelling story arc。It isn’t a bad book， for all of my sniping。 It’s just a letdown from When We Cease to Understand the World。 If you’re looking for something like the erudite eclecticism of that novel， you’d be better off reading Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights or any given book by WG Sebald， to name a couple。 Those books keep me coming back for more; MANIAC is just a slog through the shallow gravedirt of the maniacal 20th century。 。。。more
Olivia
，
Brilliant！ I flew through this book。 The narrative structure is， dare I say， even better than that of When We Cease To Understand The World。 I love math， I love books about math， and the fact that this book was （thematically） centered around von Neumann， the father of my field， made this book a bajillion times better。 HIGHLY recommend！！
Andy Cowell
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stunning。 nobody does it like labatut。 （if i’m wrong， please god point me at someone else who does kind of sorcery with fact and fiction。）long may he live！ huzzah！
BlackOxford
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The Parasitic Virus of LanguageOne of the perennial issues in the philosophy of mathematics is whether mathematics is discovered or invented。 I think the question is ill-formed and misleading。 The real issue is whether mathematics， indeed all language since mathematics is its most precise expression， discovered or invented us。 And I suspect that Benjamin Labatut agrees with me。 The principal subject of this biographical novel， the mathematician， John von Neumann， certainly does。 Von Neumann cons The Parasitic Virus of LanguageOne of the perennial issues in the philosophy of mathematics is whether mathematics is discovered or invented。 I think the question is ill-formed and misleading。 The real issue is whether mathematics， indeed all language since mathematics is its most precise expression， discovered or invented us。 And I suspect that Benjamin Labatut agrees with me。 The principal subject of this biographical novel， the mathematician， John von Neumann， certainly does。 Von Neumann considered mathematics to be a parasitic virus for which our species is a （temporary） host。 For him mathematics existed within the universe but was not part of it， at least in the sense that its mode of existence is neither material nor limited by physical laws。 Typically this condition of pervasive permanent immateriality is called ‘spiritual’， or more precisely ‘divine’。 The character of mathematics is very much that described in the Judaeo/Christian theological poetry of the divine presence: God in us， God among us， God beyond us， all simultaneously。 In short， mathematics for von Neumann is the God whom we serve。 His teacher， Gábor Szegő， had instructed him in this very principle: “Mathematics is the closest we can come to the mind of Hashem。” This mind does what it will with us individually and collectively - including destroy us。 But von Neumann thought he could outsmart this God of LanguageThere are some good reasons for von Neumann’s self-confidence。 As one of the most aware users of language ever to have lived， he understood the implications of its fatal flaw。 His colleague Ehrenfest， quoted by Labatut， perhaps summarises that flaw best as “The mathematical plague that erases all powers of imagination！” This view is often expressed even today in relation to， for example， String Theory and other sub-disciplines in Physics。The universe may be rational and orderly。 But all language， including mathematics， is most certainly not so despite its pretensions。 Mathematics is a fickle God with His own rationality， if indeed He has any rationality at all。 His ways are not our ways as the ancient prophets insisted。 This is the importance of the Incompleteness Theorems of the 20th century mathematician Kurt Gödel。 Mathematics does not， indeed cannot， have a rational foundation according to Gödel。 The consistency and coherence of mathematics is unprovable。 It floats in nothingness like the World Tortoise of Hindu and Chinese myth upon which all else rests。 It cannot be explained further and it cannot be questioned except in its limited revelations about itself。 Ultimately the God of Language is a deus absconditus whose essence is permanently hidden from human perception。The incompleteness of mathematics might be considered， and has often been so， a defect which limits human intelligence。 But after an initial intellectual shock， von Neumann， and before him Alan Turing， saw the situation differently。 The lack of a logical foundation for mathematics for them meant opportunity， specifically the opportunity “to escape the steel-girdled boundaries of formal systems。” For them getting beyond the God of Language was the ultimate challenge for mathematics。 Labatut quotes von Neumann about his real intention in exploiting this opportunity: “Cavemen created the gods， I see no reason why we shouldn’t do the same。” Klára， von Neumann’s second wife， is imagined by Labatut to have recognised this ambition for what it was: “His contributions had been so profound that they seemed less like the accomplishments of a single man and more like the aftermath of a divine tantrum， the creative outpouring of some minor god toying with the world。”Von Neumann had a practical idea for realising his vision。 By turning mathematical language in on itself， by giving it the freedom to modify itself without constraint from any purported connection to the rest of the universe， by allowing it to evolve without interference， von Neumann sought to allow mathematics the ability to create life itself （after all what constitutes RNA but a mathematical code？）。* Left to itself， von Neumann and his erstwhile colleague Nils Barricelli， believed mathematics would reveal the secrets of the universe。Von Neumann’s effort was facilitated by the first programmable computer， MANIAC， which could provide numbers the environment in which they could talk to themselves more quickly than had ever been possible。 And of course this has been a continuing endeavour ever since which we now call Artificial Intelligence。 This quest seems to be on the verge of accomplishing just what von Neumann believed it would。 Of course any attempt to overcome language through language is ultimately futile。 Language doesn’t tell on itself。 We serve the God of Language even as we strive to subvert and replace Him。 The life we might create is his essence after all and adds to His power。 Labatut inserts this as Klára’s thought as an expression of this futility: “… when the divine reaches down to touch the Earth， it is not a happy meeting of opposites， a joyous union between matter and spirit。 It is rape。 A violent begetting。 A sudden invasion， a violence that must be later purified by sacrifice。”And we find indeed that the paradoxes of language can lead to human tragedy among those who dare engage with them。 Labatut writes “in some sense， paranoia is logic run amok。” And so it seems among many of the most important names in mathematics - Gödel， von Neumann， Cantor， Ehrenfest， Boltzmann and Turing among them - who had tragically psychotic or despairing ends which are probably inseparable from their mathematical commitments。 The virus of mathematics can apparently be lethal just as von Neumann intuited。And lethal not just for the mathematicians of course。 The MANIAC computer was primarily built and used to carry out the complex calculations necessary to construct the hydrogen bomb。 The American Cold War strategy of Mutually Assured Destruction （MAD） was in significant part a product of von Neumann’s mathematical reasoning。 It seems likely that most of the mathematical and related technological developments since have been associated with the military and others concerned with the exercise of domineering power。 The God of Language is a jealous God。 Only He knows wither His jealousy takes us， but it hasn’t ever been towards greater freedom from language。 Labatut quotes Ehrenfest on the matter。 For him mathematics was overtly hostile to life: “It is inhuman， like every truly diabolic machine， and it kills everyone whose spinal marrow isn’t conditioned to fit the movement of its wheels。” Based on history， perhaps even those with sufficient marrow are immune。 * This tactic used to subvert language has a history which a language-retentive genius like von Neumann might well have known。 It has been used by mystics in a variety of religious traditions around the world to undermine dogmatic， fixed， and stale interpretations of spiritual experiences。 Jewish Kabbalah and Christian gnosticism are examples of the attempt to traduce rationality and logic。 Typically these attempts are reabsorbed into some sort of dogmatic conformance。 Thus， as with all such attempts， the God of Language continues to exert His supremacy。 See https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 and https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 and https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 。。。more
Stuart
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A fascinating historical exploration of the interweaving of scientific， mathematical creation and the impact on human individuals and our collective future。
Davide Orsato
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“Per il progresso non c’è cura”
Paul Fulcher
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This book is a work of fiction， based on fact。 The Maniac is Benjamín Labatut's first book written directly in English and follows his brilliant When We Cease to Understand the World in Adrian Nathan West's translation。Javier Cercas's The Blind Spot: An Essay on the Novel， in Anne McLean's translation， explained the idea of the "novel-without-fiction"。 Labutut's project is subtly different - a book of fiction that isn't a novel。 Per Publisher's Weekly:“A novel to me is just the worst possible fo This book is a work of fiction， based on fact。 The Maniac is Benjamín Labatut's first book written directly in English and follows his brilliant When We Cease to Understand the World in Adrian Nathan West's translation。Javier Cercas's The Blind Spot: An Essay on the Novel， in Anne McLean's translation， explained the idea of the "novel-without-fiction"。 Labutut's project is subtly different - a book of fiction that isn't a novel。 Per Publisher's Weekly:“A novel to me is just the worst possible form，” Labatut says。 “If I was a dictator， I would outlaw them。”[What is it then？] “Nothing。 A book。 A novel is just a novel。 But books are wonderful， books are weird， books are rare。 To write a book is a difficult thing。 I know I did it with my last book—I am absolutely sure of that。 I think I failed with this one。 People will call it a novel， and I will be ashamed。” And in this he follows in the footsteps of WG Sebald:His melancholy and humor， the density of information that they hold， the beauty of his prose—which has a deeply strange effect， somniferous and hallucinogenic， that prevents you from remembering everything you’ve read， no matter how much you try—make him a complete exception。 His oeuvre is an unreachable monolith， a summit that exits our world。 In my opinion， he’s the best writer of the 20th century。 The MANIAC connects 20th century theoretical physics， and the development of the atomic bomb， to the rise of artificial intelligence。 It comes in three distinct sections - two shorter ones containing a longer middle section。The first focuses on the tragic figure of Paul Ehrenfest， a theoretical physicist who came to question the use of mathematics in the field:Mathematics is inhuman like every truly diabolic machine and it kills everyone whose spinal marrow isn’t conditioned to fit the movement of its wheels。 On the streets of the modern metropolis too， all people who need their cerebral cortex to apply the traffic rules are run over。to Tanja Ehrenfest as cited in Paul Ehrenfest and the Dilemmas of Modernity By Frans H。 van Lunteren and Marijn J。 Hollestelle （and quoted in a slightly different form by Labutut）。The "diabolic machine" being a key thread running through the work。The middle sections focuses on the figure of John von Neumann （Neumann János Lajos）， via a series of fictionalised vox-pops from those who worked with him - this from Oskar Morgenstern:The minimax theorem that underlies our entire framework presupposes perfectly rational and logical agents， agents who are interested only in winning， agents who pose a perfect understanding of the rules and a total recall of all their past moves， agents who also have a flawless awareness of the possible ramifications of their own actions， and of their opponents' actions， at every single step of the game。 The only person I ever met who was exactly like that was Johnny von Neumann。 Normal people are not like that at all。 Yes， they lie， they cheat， deceive， connive， and conspire， but they also cooperate， they can sacrifice themselves for others， or simply make decisions on a whim。 Men and women follow their guts。 They heed hunches and make careless mistakes。 Life is so much more than a game。 Its full wealth and complexity cannot be captured by equations， no matter how beautiful or perfectly balanced。 And human beings are not the perfect poker players that we envisioned。 They can be highly irrational， driven and swayed by their emotions， subject to all kinds of contradictions。 And while this sparks off the ungovernable chaos that we see all around us， it is also a mercy， a strange angel that protects us from the mad dreams of reason。Labutut's book takes its name from one of the first computer's designed consistently with modern devices - the "Mathematical Analyzer， Numerical Integrator And Computer"。 The novel has Julian Bigelow claiming he and John Von Neumann coined the retronym， although other sources attribute it to Nicholas Metropolis， who built a computer using Von Neumann's architecture at Los Alamos， and who said he chose a silly name to try to stop the use of acronyms。 George Gamow， a physicist， is said to have joked that the name stood for "Metropolis And Neumann Invent Awful Contraption"。A lot of this section is relatively well-trodden territory - indeed the parts around the Los Alamos project will be very familiar to everyone who has seen Oppenheimer， and it wasn't really till around page 179 that I encountered a figure I was unfamiliar with， Nils Aall Barricelli， who first raised von Neumann's interest in the idea of artificial life and intelligence。 And the different voices aren't always particularly distinct （Richard Feynman an exception）。The last section re-tells the relatively well-trodden story of the encounter between 이세돌 and the Alpha Go program， and the style is closer to reportage than to a novel， and only very lightly fictionalised。Overall， while I loved reading the novel， I did feel much of the material has been covered elsewhere and this was not as impressive as When We Cease to Understand the World。 。。。more
Sunny
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"It's scary how science works。 Just think about this for a second: the most creative and the most destructive of human inventions arose at exactly the same time。 So much of the high-tech world we live in today， with its conquest of space and extraordinary advances in biology and medicine， were spurred on by one man's monomania and the need to develop electronic computers to calculate whether an H-bomb could be built or not。" "It's scary how science works。 Just think about this for a second: the most creative and the most destructive of human inventions arose at exactly the same time。 So much of the high-tech world we live in today， with its conquest of space and extraordinary advances in biology and medicine， were spurred on by one man's monomania and the need to develop electronic computers to calculate whether an H-bomb could be built or not。" 。。。more
Tag
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maniac香港 maniac maniac乐队 maniac 成员 maniac 人间失格 maniac ig maniac skz中文歌词 maniac《仍有心跳脉搏》 maniac 那年盛夏我们绽放如花 maniac lihkg
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=MANIAC
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=MANIAC&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,MANIAC&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0