Rudy Rucker
Encyclopedia
Rudolf von Bitter Rucker (born March 22, 1946) is an American mathematician
, computer scientist
, science fiction
author, and philosopher
, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk
literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy
, the first two of which (Software
and Wetware
) both won Philip K. Dick Awards. At present he edits the science fiction webzine Flurb
.
. He is the great-great-great-grandson of the philosopher G. W. F. Hegel.
Rucker attended St. Xavier High School
before earning a B.A.
in mathematics
from Swarthmore College
, and a Master's
and Ph.D.
in mathematics from Rutgers University
.
from 1972–1978. Thanks to a grant from the Alexander von Humboldt
Foundation, Rucker taught math at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
from 1978–1980. He then taught at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia
from 1980–1982, before trying his hand as a full-time author for four years. Inspired by an interview with Stephen Wolfram
, Rucker became a computer science professor at San José State University
in 1986, from which he retired in 2004. A mathematician with philosophical interests, he has written The Fourth Dimension
; Geometry, Relativity and the Fourth Dimension; and Infinity and the Mind. Princeton University Press
published new editions of Infinity and the Mind
in 1995 and in 2005, both with new prefaces; the first edition is cited with fair frequency in academic literature.
As his "own alternative to cyberpunk," Rucker developed a writing style he terms Transrealism. Transrealism, as outlined in his 1983 essay "The Transrealist Manifesto," is science fiction based on the author's own life and immediate perceptions, mixed with fantastic elements that symbolize psychological change. Many of Rucker's novels and short stories apply these ideas. One example of Rucker's Transrealist works is Saucer Wisdom, a novel in which the main character is abducted by aliens
. Rucker and his publisher marketed the book, tongue in cheek, as non-fiction.
His earliest Transrealist novel, White Light
, was written during his time at Heidelberg
. This Transrealist novel is based on his experiences at SUNY Geneseo
.
Rucker often uses his novels to explore scientific or mathematical ideas; White Light examines the concept of infinity, while the Ware Tetralogy
(written from 1982 through 2000) is in part an explanation of the use of natural selection
to develop computer software
(a subject also developed in his The Hacker and the Ants, written in 1994). His novels also put forward a mystical philosophy that Rucker has summarized in an essay titled, with only a bit of irony, "The Central Teachings of Mysticism" (included in Seek!, 1999).
His recent non-fiction book, The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul: What Gnarly Computation Taught Me About Ultimate Reality, the Meaning Of Life , and How To Be Happy summarizes the various philosophies he's believed over the years and ends with the tentative conclusion that we might profitably view the world as made of computations, with the final remark, "perhaps this universe is perfect."
referred to Rudy Rucker as a National Treasure of American science fiction.
List on Rucker's SJSU web page. With links to each book's web page.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author, and philosopher
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy
Ware Tetralogy
The Ware Tetralogy is a series of four science fiction novels by author Rudy Rucker: Software , Wetware , Freeware and Realware . The first two books both received the Philip K. Dick Award for best novel...
, the first two of which (Software
Software (novel)
Software is a 1982 cyberpunk science fiction novel written by Rudy Rucker. It won the first Philip K. Dick Award in 1983. The novel is the first book in Rucker's Ware Tetralogy, and was followed by a sequel, Wetware, in 1988.- Plot summary :...
and Wetware
Wetware (novel)
Wetware is a 1988 biopunk science fiction novel written by Rudy Rucker. It shared the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988 with Four Hundred Billion Stars by Paul J. McAuley...
) both won Philip K. Dick Awards. At present he edits the science fiction webzine Flurb
Flurb
Flurb is a science fiction webzine, edited by noted science fiction author Rudy Rucker. In addition to short stories, Flurb features paintings and photography by Rucker. It is released biannually...
.
Early life
Rucker was born in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He is the great-great-great-grandson of the philosopher G. W. F. Hegel.
Rucker attended St. Xavier High School
St. Xavier High School, Louisville, Kentucky
St. Xavier High School is an all-male, Xaverian Brothers-sponsored school in Louisville, Kentucky. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville. St. Xavier, also known as St. X, was founded in 1864 by Br. Paul Van Gerwen, C.F.X. The school currently resides on Poplar Level Road...
before earning a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, and a Master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in mathematics from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.
Career
He taught at the State University of New York at GeneseoState University of New York at Geneseo
The State University of New York at Geneseo—also known as SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State, or, colloquially, Geneseo—is located in Geneseo, Livingston County, New York, United States. It is a University College of the State University of New York...
from 1972–1978. Thanks to a grant from the Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
Foundation, Rucker taught math at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
The Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is a public research university located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany and was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire. Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution...
from 1978–1980. He then taught at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
from 1980–1982, before trying his hand as a full-time author for four years. Inspired by an interview with Stephen Wolfram
Stephen Wolfram
Stephen Wolfram is a British scientist and the chief designer of the Mathematica software application and the Wolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine.- Biography :...
, Rucker became a computer science professor at San José State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
in 1986, from which he retired in 2004. A mathematician with philosophical interests, he has written The Fourth Dimension
The Fourth Dimension (book)
The Fourth Dimension is a non-fiction work written by Rudy Rucker, the Silicon Valley professor of mathematics and computer science, and was published in 1984 by Houghton Mifflin. The book is subtitled as a guided tour of the higher universes. The foreword included is by Martin Gardner, and the...
; Geometry, Relativity and the Fourth Dimension; and Infinity and the Mind. Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
published new editions of Infinity and the Mind
Infinity and the Mind
Infinity and the Mind: The Science and Philosophy of the Infinite is a theoretical mathematics book by American mathematician, computer scientist, and science fiction writer Rudy Rucker.- Marketing :...
in 1995 and in 2005, both with new prefaces; the first edition is cited with fair frequency in academic literature.
As his "own alternative to cyberpunk," Rucker developed a writing style he terms Transrealism. Transrealism, as outlined in his 1983 essay "The Transrealist Manifesto," is science fiction based on the author's own life and immediate perceptions, mixed with fantastic elements that symbolize psychological change. Many of Rucker's novels and short stories apply these ideas. One example of Rucker's Transrealist works is Saucer Wisdom, a novel in which the main character is abducted by aliens
Abduction phenomenon
The terms alien abduction or abduction phenomenon describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one’s will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures." People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees" or...
. Rucker and his publisher marketed the book, tongue in cheek, as non-fiction.
His earliest Transrealist novel, White Light
White Light (Rudy Rucker novel)
White Light is a work of science fiction by Rudy Rucker published in 1980 by Ace Books. It was written while Rucker was teaching mathematics at the University of Heidelberg from 1978 to 1980, at roughly the same time he was working on the non-fiction book Infinity and the Mind.On one level, the...
, was written during his time at Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. This Transrealist novel is based on his experiences at SUNY Geneseo
State University of New York at Geneseo
The State University of New York at Geneseo—also known as SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State, or, colloquially, Geneseo—is located in Geneseo, Livingston County, New York, United States. It is a University College of the State University of New York...
.
Rucker often uses his novels to explore scientific or mathematical ideas; White Light examines the concept of infinity, while the Ware Tetralogy
Ware Tetralogy
The Ware Tetralogy is a series of four science fiction novels by author Rudy Rucker: Software , Wetware , Freeware and Realware . The first two books both received the Philip K. Dick Award for best novel...
(written from 1982 through 2000) is in part an explanation of the use of natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
to develop computer software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
(a subject also developed in his The Hacker and the Ants, written in 1994). His novels also put forward a mystical philosophy that Rucker has summarized in an essay titled, with only a bit of irony, "The Central Teachings of Mysticism" (included in Seek!, 1999).
His recent non-fiction book, The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul: What Gnarly Computation Taught Me About Ultimate Reality, the Meaning Of Life , and How To Be Happy summarizes the various philosophies he's believed over the years and ends with the tentative conclusion that we might profitably view the world as made of computations, with the final remark, "perhaps this universe is perfect."
Testimonials
Author William GibsonWilliam Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
referred to Rudy Rucker as a National Treasure of American science fiction.
Fiction
- The Ware TetralogyWare TetralogyThe Ware Tetralogy is a series of four science fiction novels by author Rudy Rucker: Software , Wetware , Freeware and Realware . The first two books both received the Philip K. Dick Award for best novel...
http://www.rudyrucker.com/wares/- SoftwareSoftware (novel)Software is a 1982 cyberpunk science fiction novel written by Rudy Rucker. It won the first Philip K. Dick Award in 1983. The novel is the first book in Rucker's Ware Tetralogy, and was followed by a sequel, Wetware, in 1988.- Plot summary :...
(1982) - WetwareWetware (novel)Wetware is a 1988 biopunk science fiction novel written by Rudy Rucker. It shared the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988 with Four Hundred Billion Stars by Paul J. McAuley...
(1988) - Freeware (1997)
- Realware (2000)
- Software
- Transrealist novels
- White LightWhite Light (Rudy Rucker novel)White Light is a work of science fiction by Rudy Rucker published in 1980 by Ace Books. It was written while Rucker was teaching mathematics at the University of Heidelberg from 1978 to 1980, at roughly the same time he was working on the non-fiction book Infinity and the Mind.On one level, the...
(1980) - Spacetime Donuts (1981)
- The Sex Sphere (1983)
- The Secret of Life (1985)
- The Hacker and the AntsThe Hacker and the AntsThe Hacker and the Ants is a work of science fiction by Rudy Rucker published in 1994 by Avon Books. It was written while Rucker was working as a programmer at Autodesk, Inc., of Sausalito, California from 1988 to 1992.- Plot Summary :...
(1994) (Revised 'Version 2.0' 2003) - Saucer Wisdom (1999) novel marketed as non-fiction
- White Light
- Other Novels
- Master of Space and TimeMaster of Space and TimeMaster of Space and Time is a 1984 novel by Rudy Rucker that centers on an inventor, Harry Gerber, who discovers a way to create his own tailor-made universe....
(1984) - The Hollow Earth (1990)
- Spaceland (2002)
- As Above, So Below: A Novel of Peter BruegelPieter Brueghel the ElderPieter Bruegel the Elder was a Flemish renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and peasant scenes . He is sometimes referred to as the "Peasant Bruegel" to distinguish him from other members of the Brueghel dynasty, but he is also the one generally meant when the context does...
(2002) - Frek and the Elixir (2004)
- Mathematicians in LoveMathematicians in LoveMathematicians in Love is a science fiction novel written by Rudy Rucker.-Plot summary:Bela and Paul are working towards their Ph.D's under the direction of a mad math genius named Roland Haut, they invent a para-computer called "GoBubble" that predicts the future...
(2006) - Postsingular (Fall 2007)
- Hylozoic (sequel to Postsingular, May 2009)
- Master of Space and Time
- Story collections
- The Fifty-Seventh Franz Kafka (1983)
- Transreal!, also includes some non-fiction essays (1991)
- Gnarl! (2000), complete short stories
- Mad Professor (2006)
Non-fiction
- Geometry, Relativity and the Fourth Dimension (1977)
- (editor), Speculations on the Fourth Dimension: Selected Writings of Charles H. Hinton, Dover (1980), ISBN 0-486-23916-0
- Infinity and the MindInfinity and the MindInfinity and the Mind: The Science and Philosophy of the Infinite is a theoretical mathematics book by American mathematician, computer scientist, and science fiction writer Rudy Rucker.- Marketing :...
(1982) - The Fourth DimensionThe Fourth Dimension (book)The Fourth Dimension is a non-fiction work written by Rudy Rucker, the Silicon Valley professor of mathematics and computer science, and was published in 1984 by Houghton Mifflin. The book is subtitled as a guided tour of the higher universes. The foreword included is by Martin Gardner, and the...
(1984) - Mind Tools (1987)
- All the Visions (1991), memoir
- Seek! (1999), collected essays
- Software Engineering and Computer Games (2002), textbook
- The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul (2005)
As editor
- Mathenauts: Tales of Mathematical Wonder, Arbor HouseArbor HouseArbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specialising in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1979 to move into...
(1987)
List on Rucker's SJSU web page. With links to each book's web page.