Understanding Shannon's lack of hubris in this essay requires some context. Shannon places Isaac Newton & Alan Turing above the curve, so it a very high bar.

Understanding Shannon's lack of hubris in this essay requires some context. Shannon places Isaac Newton & Alan Turing above the curve, so it a very high bar. This is Shannon writing at age 36, still at Bell labs producing practical work for the military, often classified and mostly on crypto. His seminal memorandum 'A practical Theory of Communication' had begun circulating only 4 years earlier and it's full impact was not yet apparent.