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> There's famous examples of revolutions in science being claimed as mundane results. Topologists said Nash was just applying topology to economics and it was n
by btrettel 7y ago
> There's famous examples of revolutions in science being claimed as mundane results. Topologists said Nash was just applying topology to economics and it was nothing new (to them). Mathematicians saw Einstein's results as unsurprising because of the tensor analysis. (Some of these are over exaggerated and there's definitely a post hoc superiority complex in play).
Do you have any references for these examples?
- godelski 7y agoI could not find any through a quick search. Maybe it is convoluted search terms. I got a degree in physics and was pretty close to the math department. This is just stuff that I've heard from both departments and seen in a few documentaries. I had seen a direct source on Nash (IIRC someone upset about the Nobel), but that was years ago and I can't find it easily. I did try to give a bunch of side notes to downplay and justify it in ways that may be conceited, but also reasonably human. I don't know if these stories I heard were a single person (I'd be surprised if there weren't at least one person!) or a larger group. I wouldn't be surprised if a ridiculous voice got amplified (can't think of any times that happened in modern times.....)