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Can we stop using the term ‘math prodigy’ for someone who was essentially a quant monkey - that too at best a decent one? He ain’t no Ramanujan, or a Terrence

Can we stop using the term ‘math prodigy’ for someone who was essentially a quant monkey - that too at best a decent one? He ain’t no Ramanujan, or a Terrence Tao or any of the recent Fields’ medalists who have poured their heart and soul into their craft with no expected financial return.

dmix 8y ago
I don't know man, my mom has called me a "computer genius" since I was 15. I'd imagine getting a PhD in math is equivalent is the same idea to business journalists, but 'prodigy' level and working in private industry with a bunch of MBAs instead of pushing out papers in academia.
- wolfgke 8y ago
  > I don't know man, my mom has called me a "computer genius" since I was 15. This is rather strong evidence for the statement that "ordinary people" are often not qualified to judge whether someone is a genius or not.
  - dmix 8y ago
    That was the joke.
anfilt 8y ago
I think the problem is prodigy has two general connotations. If one reads the definition/s of the word both are there. 1. It means just means highly talented. 2. Some who accomplishes/performs something rare/unusual/novel. I tend to go with number two as well, but for instance if you look at the etymology its roots are more in the first definition.[1] [1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/prodigy https://www.etymonline.com/word/prodigy
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
tzjmetron 8y ago
You sound unhappy and insecure.
Khelavaster 8y ago
He did, however, graduate third in his class at Cambridge, coming from a rural Chinese background--that's prodigal.
- kkarakk 8y ago
  probably explains his naivety in agreeing to extradition from hong kong instead of skipping to china...unless they figured out a way to pressure him into returning
- hatmatrix 8y ago
  "prodigal" - extravagant - derives from Latin: prodigus. "prodigy" - extraordinary - derives from Latin: prodigium.
  - tk75x 8y ago
    "prodigious" - resembling or befitting a prodigy, causing amazement or wonder
tw1010 8y ago
Acting ethically has nothing to do with talent (you can be unambigously crazy smart and yet direct it towards bad things).
liftbigweights 8y ago
> Can we stop using the term ‘math prodigy’ for someone who was essentially a quant monkey - that too at best a decent one? The guy was a math prodigy though. What else would you call one of the top math students at cambridge? > He ain’t no Ramanujan, or a Terrence Tao or any of the recent Fields’ medalists who have poured their heart and soul into their craft with no expected financial return. You don't have to win the Fields' medal or achieve greatness to be a prodigy. There are plenty of prodigies who fail to live up to their potential or simply choose to do other things. It's not just in academics. There are sports prodigies who, for a variety of reasons, fail to achieve greatness. Take baseball. For every ken griffey jr, there are a bunch of brien taylors. For every lebron, you have a greg oden or kwame brown.
- netvarun 8y ago
  >> What else would you call one of the top math students at cambridge? I would call him a good, hardworking student. (At least that's what we'd call it in Singapore ;) Coincidentally me and Xu went to high school at the same time in Singapore) If we labelled everyone who did well in the undergraduate curriculum as prodigal - the word itself starts loses its meaning. Let's take the top 20 universities across the world (harvards,mits, tsinghuas, iits etc.) and take the top 10 graduating students from each class (math, physics, etc.) => are we saying that the world is producing 500-1000 prodigies every year?
  - liftbigweights 8y ago
    > I would call him a good, hardworking student. (At least that's what we'd call it in Singapore ;) How many singaporeans are top math students at cambridge? If hard work is all that it took, we'd all be studying math at cambridge. > Coincidentally me and Xu went to high school at the same time in Singapore) "Coincidentally Xu and I..." > Let's take the top 20 universities across the world (harvards,mits, tsinghuas, iits etc.) and take the top 10 graduating students from each class (math, physics, etc.) => are we saying that the world is producing 500-1000 prodigies every year? I'd say there are far more prodigies than that being produced every year. You do realize that there are 7 billion people on earth right? You don't have to be newton or einstein to be a prodigy. Most prodigies never live up to their expectations. Maybe you use the word differently in singapore than in the US.

dmix 8y ago

I don't know man, my mom has called me a "computer genius" since I was 15. I'd imagine getting a PhD in math is equivalent is the same idea to business journalists, but 'prodigy' level and working in private industry with a bunch of MBAs instead of pushing out papers in academia.

wolfgke 8y ago
> I don't know man, my mom has called me a "computer genius" since I was 15. This is rather strong evidence for the statement that "ordinary people" are often not qualified to judge whether someone is a genius or not.
- dmix 8y ago
  That was the joke.

anfilt 8y ago

I think the problem is prodigy has two general connotations. If one reads the definition/s of the word both are there. 1. It means just means highly talented. 2. Some who accomplishes/performs something rare/unusual/novel. I tend to go with number two as well, but for instance if you look at the etymology its roots are more in the first definition.[1] [1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/prodigy https://www.etymonline.com/word/prodigy

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

tzjmetron 8y ago

You sound unhappy and insecure.

Khelavaster 8y ago

He did, however, graduate third in his class at Cambridge, coming from a rural Chinese background--that's prodigal.

kkarakk 8y ago
probably explains his naivety in agreeing to extradition from hong kong instead of skipping to china...unless they figured out a way to pressure him into returning
hatmatrix 8y ago
"prodigal" - extravagant - derives from Latin: prodigus. "prodigy" - extraordinary - derives from Latin: prodigium.
- tk75x 8y ago
  "prodigious" - resembling or befitting a prodigy, causing amazement or wonder

tw1010 8y ago

Acting ethically has nothing to do with talent (you can be unambigously crazy smart and yet direct it towards bad things).

liftbigweights 8y ago

> Can we stop using the term ‘math prodigy’ for someone who was essentially a quant monkey - that too at best a decent one? The guy was a math prodigy though. What else would you call one of the top math students at cambridge? > He ain’t no Ramanujan, or a Terrence Tao or any of the recent Fields’ medalists who have poured their heart and soul into their craft with no expected financial return. You don't have to win the Fields' medal or achieve greatness to be a prodigy. There are plenty of prodigies who fail to live up to their potential or simply choose to do other things. It's not just in academics. There are sports prodigies who, for a variety of reasons, fail to achieve greatness. Take baseball. For every ken griffey jr, there are a bunch of brien taylors. For every lebron, you have a greg oden or kwame brown.

netvarun 8y ago
>> What else would you call one of the top math students at cambridge? I would call him a good, hardworking student. (At least that's what we'd call it in Singapore ;) Coincidentally me and Xu went to high school at the same time in Singapore) If we labelled everyone who did well in the undergraduate curriculum as prodigal - the word itself starts loses its meaning. Let's take the top 20 universities across the world (harvards,mits, tsinghuas, iits etc.) and take the top 10 graduating students from each class (math, physics, etc.) => are we saying that the world is producing 500-1000 prodigies every year?
- liftbigweights 8y ago
  > I would call him a good, hardworking student. (At least that's what we'd call it in Singapore ;) How many singaporeans are top math students at cambridge? If hard work is all that it took, we'd all be studying math at cambridge. > Coincidentally me and Xu went to high school at the same time in Singapore) "Coincidentally Xu and I..." > Let's take the top 20 universities across the world (harvards,mits, tsinghuas, iits etc.) and take the top 10 graduating students from each class (math, physics, etc.) => are we saying that the world is producing 500-1000 prodigies every year? I'd say there are far more prodigies than that being produced every year. You do realize that there are 7 billion people on earth right? You don't have to be newton or einstein to be a prodigy. Most prodigies never live up to their expectations. Maybe you use the word differently in singapore than in the US.