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A review by mmccombs
The MANIAC by Benjamín Labatut
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I feel like this should have been a book that bored me to death, being mostly about math and old dudes who used math to cause immense suffering, but I simply could not get enough of this book, it was an electric reading experience. The things Labatut is saying here is so layered and complex, like sure there is math and suffering, but there’s so much more than that.
The concept of people (often unintentionally) fusing their own biases, beliefs, and personalities into the technology they are creating, which they claim to be completely separate from humanity and therefore without bias, beliefs, or personalities, was so interesting. I loved the conversation throughout about why we create, why we innovate, and whether we should create just because we can if the cost is so beyond the scope of human imagination we can never know the true consequence of anything until it happens.
The structure of this book in three parts, following three different people, and the bulk of von Neumann’s section to be told without actually hearing from the man himself, was very successful. I especially enjoyed the last section, who knew descriptions of a game I’ve never played or even watched would be absolutely riveting. I had a great time thinking alongside this book, which is always such a gift to experience.
The concept of people (often unintentionally) fusing their own biases, beliefs, and personalities into the technology they are creating, which they claim to be completely separate from humanity and therefore without bias, beliefs, or personalities, was so interesting. I loved the conversation throughout about why we create, why we innovate, and whether we should create just because we can if the cost is so beyond the scope of human imagination we can never know the true consequence of anything until it happens.
The structure of this book in three parts, following three different people, and the bulk of von Neumann’s section to be told without actually hearing from the man himself, was very successful. I especially enjoyed the last section, who knew descriptions of a game I’ve never played or even watched would be absolutely riveting. I had a great time thinking alongside this book, which is always such a gift to experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Genocide, Toxic relationship, and Antisemitism