內容簡介
封面《破碎的天才》（Broken Genius），副題則是《電子世紀的創造者：蕭克利一生興衰史》（The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age）
When William Shockley invented the transistor, the world was changed forever and he was awarded the Nobel Prize. But today Shockley is often remembered only for hisincendiarycampaigning about race, intelligence, and genetics. His dubious research led him todonateto the Nobel Prize sperm bank and preach his inflammatory ideas widely, making shocking pronouncements on the uselessness of remedial education and the sterilization of individuals with IQs below 100. Ultimately his crusade destroyed his reputation and saw him vilified on national television, yet he died proclaiming his work on race his greatestaccomplishment. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joel N. Shurkin offers the first biography of this contradictory and controversial man. With unique access to the private Shockley archives, Shurkin gives an unflinching account of how such promise ended in such ignominy.
作者簡介
科普作家喬爾·舒爾金(Joel Shurkin)，Joel N. Shurkin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of many books, including Engines of the Mind and Terman's Kids. He lives in Washington, DC.
圖書簡評
Review
Joel ShurkinJoel Shurkin"Shurkin is a good storyteller, and better still as a researcher of the personal facts." --Nobel laureate Professor Philip Anderson, Times Higher Educational Supplement"Shurkin deftly tackles this complex figure -- and his unraveling -- and delivers an unflinching portrait of a tragic life."--Seed Magazine"At last, the definitive,unstintingbiography of thishugelyimportant historical figure--complete with all his contradictions and idiosyncrasies."--Michael Riordan, coauthor of Crystal Fire"I recommend it to people curious about the history of technology and the computer or anyone interested in a rise and fall of truly epic proportions."--Cory Ondrejka, CTO Linden Labs cond Life"Shurkin does a good job of portraying a difficult man--a vivid portrait."--NewScientist Praise for Engines of the Mind:
"A popularized, clearly written history of computing...beautifully captures thehectic, creative air at the Moore School as young engineers labored under John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert to construct ENIAC..."--The Wall Street Journal
"A fine book, full of interesting angles and lively stuff...Shurkin has the same lively facility for writing clearly about computers that Robert Heilbroner has for writing about economics...Shurkin writes a crisp newspaperly style, has a good eye for color and has created a fine book."--Boston Globe
"Offers a glimpse of science at both its finest and most mundane...clearly and vivaciously written."--ALA Booklist"The other wonderful thing about this book is that it manages to convey the excitement of scientific inquiry and invention."--New York Sun"FIVE STARS: thisgrippingbiography gives a balanced picture of the most bizarre of the great names of electronics. Recommended." --Brian Clegg, author of The God Effect and Light Years"I recommend it to people curious about the history of technology and the computer or anyone interested in a rise and fall of truly epic proportions." --Cory Ondrejka, CTO Linden Labs cond Life“Masterfully walks the fine line between presenting Shockley as purely evil and legitimizing his more controversial theories--very readable.” --Physics World“This portrait of a flawed giant reveals a man crushed under the weight of his own pathological insecurities.” --David Bodanis, Discover
“Shurkin reveals Shockley to be a fascinating example of anAristoteliantragic hero--riveting.” --Nature"This informed and candid biography asks, 'Why did a man so brilliant deliberately destroy himself?'" --Skeptical Inquiry
Praise for Terman's Kids:
"While Shurkin views his subject in a sympathetic light, he makes no apologies for Terman's flaws as a scientist and a human being...his Midwestern biases,sexism, his moral humbuggery."--Philadelphia Inquirer .
破碎的天才：電子時代創造者威廉蕭克利的崛起與隕落
破碎的天才：電子時代創造者威廉蕭克利的崛起與隕落 。蕭克利(William Shockley）因跟巴丁(John Bardeen)及布萊頓(Walter Brattain)共同研究電晶體，而於一九五六年同時獲得諾貝爾物理獎。蕭克利可以說是二十世紀最具爭議性的美國物理學家，其人行為詭譎而饒富思想啟發。
之所以會有這樣的評價，是因為他一方面被認是促成夥伴電晶體研發的間接助力，另一方面則是因為他之後潛心研究「種族智力」而身陷爭議之中。在其擔任物理學家多產的歲月里，蕭克利在資料蒐集和個人及同儕思維開拓方面十分傑出，卻未能有效領導團隊孕育成熟果實。
William Shockley有人直稱他是「矽谷的摩西」，以「應許之地」為號召，吸引了當時那些人投入技術研發，而締造今日這個資訊時代。但，就如同摩西的結局一樣，蕭克利本人並未踏入那流著鮮奶與蜂蜜的土地上享受成果。
就像這本自傳給巧妙地命名為「破碎的天才」一樣，作者揭露蕭克利是一個典型亞里斯多德式的悲劇英雄，其人的缺點可被人一眼識破，也就是他對自己的智力自恃過高。
蕭克利是個獨生子，於一九一○年生於倫敦。母親是個亡命之徒，父親於麻省理工學院畢業後成為礦業工程師，因尋找唯利是圖的工作而必須不斷的舉家遷徙。蕭克利孩提時期的分裂性格在家就已表露無遺，在公眾場合的表現倒還控制得宜（可對他之後的表現窺豹一斑？）。父親一九二○年代逝世後，舉家返美定居於南加州。高中畢業後，蕭克利進入加州理工學院，然後又進入麻省理工學院，時值二○年代晚期三○年代初期，是研究物理學的巔峰時期，他深受當時哲學認識論里的必然性與或然性學說的影響，這或許也引發他之後在研究方法上對量化統計特別青睞之因。
一九三六年蕭克利從麻省理工學院獲得博士學位後，隨即被貝爾電話實驗室的主管凱立(Mervin Kelly)聘僱。在那時，如同今日，一個剛拿到博士學位的人直接進入這樣的實驗室做研究是很罕見的。也許這也說明了蕭克利所尋求的人生是要接受挑戰的。況且，那時正值經濟蕭條，而蕭克利有老婆有家要養。
當時中央電話接電裝置雖已採用電機式繼電器，凱立也預見未來將不可能全靠這個來處理持續增加的電信業務量，他便要求貝爾實驗室的工作小組尋求替代方案。雖然三○年代是使用真空管擴大器的全盛時期，但蕭克利認為這項技術很有可能還有很大的改進空間，應該可以找到某個固態繼電裝置來當交換機。
作者敘述事件的手法，不論是有關電晶體部分技術層面的論述，還是所記載蕭克利種種的行為，即便讀者已對故事結局十分熟稔，這本傳記著作的情節安排仍然引人入勝。
市面上已有很多文獻對於誰貢獻了什麼或功勞如何適當分配有所著墨，巴丁對於這個問題，也用他一貫的說法回應，「答案就在蕭克利著作的序言裡。」在蕭克利五○年代出版名為《半導體中的電子和電洞》的教科書序言裡，他就把電晶體的發明歸功於巴丁和布萊頓，而且只歸功於他們兩人。巴丁提出關鍵性的想法，認為注入少數載流子可使訊號放大；布萊頓負責提供接觸器緊密結合的技術。
然而，當時或沒有蕭克利的參與和領導，很清楚的是這項發明也不會這么快就有成果，而他後續所獨立研究關於接合型電晶體的發明，則被認為是之後十年最實用的裝置。
幾乎是觸點式電晶體的發現後，蕭克利隨即與許多在貝爾實驗室的同仁劃清界線，到最後甚至對整個組織本身都有意見。本書作者暗指此系妒忌使然，因在最後、最重要的幾項實驗裡，蕭克利皆未能充分參與，而且對於自己未能在實驗室的管理階層快速升遷倍感挫折。根據他部屬的陳述，他擁有一種「獨特的」管理風格。
