6 ms·

No we should not suffix the name of every person in post titles with their occupation. Grothendieck is one of the most influential mathematicians of the last ce

No we should not suffix the name of every person in post titles with their occupation. Grothendieck is one of the most influential mathematicians of the last century. This is like demanding clarifications like "this article is about Mark Zuckerburg, a CEO"

a3_nm 9y ago
Even if you know who Gronthendieck is, the title is surprisingly unhelpful.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- mathgenius 9y ago
  The title invoked in me a state of mystery, which is perhaps exactly the right way to approach this subject.
  - klipt 9y ago
    As does all clickbait. "You won't believe what happens next!" "Doctors hate her!" Ooh, mysterious, why do doctors hate her?
    - _ah 9y ago
      She was shocked. It's an easy trick, discovered by a mom.
  - thedailymail 9y ago
    I agree that the title was intriguing and although I am not fluent in mathematics at the level discussed in the article, I found the biographical sections very interesting and the writing style to be engaging. Particularly interesting were the comparisons with Boltzmann and Cantor, apparently also "tortured" or at least socially eccentric, geniuses. My understanding of their work is limited but the author of this article seemed to allude to the risks of, or at least correlations with, psychological instability and research at the extreme frontiers of mathematics. (I know this notion is a tired cliche, but still...) If anyone out there has an understanding of how Grothendieck "deepened the concept of a geometric point" and feels the urge to explain it in layman terms, I have an upvote for you!
- dbranes 9y ago
  It's literally word for word the title of the linked article, which makes it a reasonable choice for a title, no?
  - ryanx435 9y ago
    You can tell it's a terrible title because the only comments are discussing the title and not the content of the article
    - mattkrause 9y ago
      So...having read the article (honestly!), I'm still not sure why this is the title. He bounced around Europe as a young man (due to WWII), but he did the vast majority of his work in France. However, Wikipedia says he was technically stateless because he held off on applying for French citizenship. I would guess the title an allusion to that--and his reclusiveness later in life, but I still feel like I'm either missing something or something was lost in translation. Is it a quote or paraphrase of something?
      - thedailymail 9y ago
        About midway through the article, Cartier (the author) says that "Grothendieck had a taste and a talent for naming things, which he used as a major intellectual strategy. Thus, my title, “A Country Known Only by Name,” is an homage to his way with words." I agree with others that it's not the most straightforward title he could have used (although I don't think it's the same thing as clickbait). But personally I enjoyed the sense of mystery it lent to an article I might otherwise have skipped.
        mattkrause 9y ago
        I read that but the country part still confuses me--it's a very odd way to refer to a person. This made me wonder if it was a reference to something. "No Country for Old Men", for example, is from the first line of "Sailing to Byzantium", a poem by Yeats.
  - 9y ago
freehunter 9y ago
When I read the title, I assume Grothendieck is a country. You know, because it says "Grothendieck is a country". So maybe you don't need to say "Grothendieck, the mathematician", but the title is specifically going out of its way to be as unclear as possible.
PhasmaFelis 9y ago
Being an influential mathematician doesn't really put you high on most people's awareness. But you're misstating the problem. If the title had been "A country of which nothing is known but the name Obama", I would still have assumed that it was about a little-known historical nation that happened to share a name with the last US president. It's just a really weird, confusing title.
- Retra 9y ago
  Well, if all you do is read the title, then what does it matter how confusing it is?
  - PhasmaFelis 9y ago
    I read the title to decide if the article is worth reading. I'm not sure what you think titles are for.
nextlevelwizard 9y ago
I literally couldn't tell you even what part of the field he was involved with or when. Although I could tell you that Zuckerburg made Facebook. Just because you know something doesn't mean it's common knowledge (or that other people will even care)

a3_nm 9y ago

Even if you know who Gronthendieck is, the title is surprisingly unhelpful.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
mathgenius 9y ago
The title invoked in me a state of mystery, which is perhaps exactly the right way to approach this subject.
- klipt 9y ago
  As does all clickbait. "You won't believe what happens next!" "Doctors hate her!" Ooh, mysterious, why do doctors hate her?
  - _ah 9y ago
    She was shocked. It's an easy trick, discovered by a mom.
- thedailymail 9y ago
  I agree that the title was intriguing and although I am not fluent in mathematics at the level discussed in the article, I found the biographical sections very interesting and the writing style to be engaging. Particularly interesting were the comparisons with Boltzmann and Cantor, apparently also "tortured" or at least socially eccentric, geniuses. My understanding of their work is limited but the author of this article seemed to allude to the risks of, or at least correlations with, psychological instability and research at the extreme frontiers of mathematics. (I know this notion is a tired cliche, but still...) If anyone out there has an understanding of how Grothendieck "deepened the concept of a geometric point" and feels the urge to explain it in layman terms, I have an upvote for you!
dbranes 9y ago
It's literally word for word the title of the linked article, which makes it a reasonable choice for a title, no?
- ryanx435 9y ago
  You can tell it's a terrible title because the only comments are discussing the title and not the content of the article
  - mattkrause 9y ago
    So...having read the article (honestly!), I'm still not sure why this is the title. He bounced around Europe as a young man (due to WWII), but he did the vast majority of his work in France. However, Wikipedia says he was technically stateless because he held off on applying for French citizenship. I would guess the title an allusion to that--and his reclusiveness later in life, but I still feel like I'm either missing something or something was lost in translation. Is it a quote or paraphrase of something?
    - thedailymail 9y ago
      About midway through the article, Cartier (the author) says that "Grothendieck had a taste and a talent for naming things, which he used as a major intellectual strategy. Thus, my title, “A Country Known Only by Name,” is an homage to his way with words." I agree with others that it's not the most straightforward title he could have used (although I don't think it's the same thing as clickbait). But personally I enjoyed the sense of mystery it lent to an article I might otherwise have skipped.
      - mattkrause 9y ago
        I read that but the country part still confuses me--it's a very odd way to refer to a person. This made me wonder if it was a reference to something. "No Country for Old Men", for example, is from the first line of "Sailing to Byzantium", a poem by Yeats.
- 9y ago

freehunter 9y ago

When I read the title, I assume Grothendieck is a country. You know, because it says "Grothendieck is a country". So maybe you don't need to say "Grothendieck, the mathematician", but the title is specifically going out of its way to be as unclear as possible.

PhasmaFelis 9y ago

Being an influential mathematician doesn't really put you high on most people's awareness. But you're misstating the problem. If the title had been "A country of which nothing is known but the name Obama", I would still have assumed that it was about a little-known historical nation that happened to share a name with the last US president. It's just a really weird, confusing title.

Retra 9y ago
Well, if all you do is read the title, then what does it matter how confusing it is?
- PhasmaFelis 9y ago
  I read the title to decide if the article is worth reading. I'm not sure what you think titles are for.

nextlevelwizard 9y ago

I literally couldn't tell you even what part of the field he was involved with or when. Although I could tell you that Zuckerburg made Facebook. Just because you know something doesn't mean it's common knowledge (or that other people will even care)