Sauron and von Neumann
I am reading The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut. In his description of von Neumann (Johnny), in the chapter narrated by Oskar Morgenstern, Morgenstern reminisces about how they got to work on game theory, how it was picked up by the army, and how it was used to calculate the outcomes of war scenarios throughout the Cold War era. Morgenstern notes how von Neumann had a cynical view of the future and would not hold back on any destruction and havoc.
This particular passage stood out for me:
Because I can't help but recognize that Johnny — who proved the theorem at the heart of our work — was profoundly pessimistic, his vision of human beings was grim and cynical, and so his mind may have unwittingly tainted the equations that upheld our thinking with its own dark tinge.
We are now watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon. In episode 3 of season 2, Lord Celebrimbor is tricked by the disguised Sauron into crafting rings of power for the dwarves, and in the process the rings are tainted with his evil.
Perhaps this was Tolkien's way of reflecting on how technological advancements could be turned toward evil purposes. He lived through both world wars.
