I haven’t read the book, but looking at the reviews on the page you linked...
First, it’s funny what once passed for pop science. (...) at least 10% of the pages are devoted to difficult equations and proofs, and I had to skip a couple of chapters because the math was way, way over my head.
Wiener was both philosopher and scientist. As a scientist he was evidently peerless at the time; as a philosopher he reads as … quirky. But at least he’s trying. (...) his assertion that the body is a machine—a wonderfully complex machine, but a machine nevertheless—apparently had not been so internalized by his intended audience (again, a mathematically literate lay audience) that it was unnecessary to make the point.
(Wiener) was clearly committed to a program of ethical research and development. He warned of the danger of developing dangerous computing applications, and dismissed the idea that we can always “turn off” machines that we don’t like, since it isn’t always clear that the danger exists until after the damage is done.
That’s like Eliezer from a parallel universe, except that in this parallel universe the alternative Eliezer was a professor of mathematics at MIT.
I haven’t read the book, but looking at the reviews on the page you linked...
That’s like Eliezer from a parallel universe, except that in this parallel universe the alternative Eliezer was a professor of mathematics at MIT.