4 ms·
My favorite Erdős trivia is that he was an avid amphetamine user. Erdős’s friends worried about his drug use, and in 1979 Graham bet Erdős $500 that h
by whalesalad 7y ago
My favorite Erdős trivia is that he was an avid amphetamine user.
Erdős’s friends worried about his drug use, and in 1979 Graham bet Erdős
$500 that he couldn’t stop taking amphetamines for a month. Erdős accepted,
and went cold turkey for a complete month. Erdős’s comment at the end of the
month was “You’ve showed me I’m not an addict. But I didn’t get any work done.
I’d get up in the morning and stare at a blank piece of paper. I’d have no
ideas, just like an ordinary person. You’ve set mathematics back a month.”
He then immediately started taking amphetamines again
My man.
https://www.untruth.org/~josh/math/Paul%20Erd%F6s%20bio-rev2.pdf https://www.untruth.org/~josh/math/Paul%20Erd%F6s%20bio-rev2...
- c3534l 7y ago"I'm not a drug addict, I just can't function without drugs. Totally different."
- ta999999171 7y agoSome people have unfortunate brain chemistry/homeostasis, and are keen to adjust it. It's a real thing. Hard to separate from desiring the pleasure/illness, to be fair.
- whalesalad 7y agoSpot on.
- ramblerman 7y agoGoing cold turkey to nothing for a month is not something a typical "addict" could do.
- MrEldritch 7y agoI don't think this is fair. I have ADHD. It is not an exaggeration to say that I can't function without drugs - I have trouble doing literally any task that requires switching focus or making long-term plans (including complex, multi-step tasks like "put on pants, go outside, find a place to eat, and eat some food so you don't starve".) Specifically, I can't function without prescription amphetamines, in dosages substantially greater than Erdos was taking.
- _hardwaregeek 7y agoHanging out with Erdős was probably a ride. He was known for drinking copious amounts of coffee and taking amphetamines non stop. So he probably didn't get a lot of sleep. Now imagine that dude has showed up at your house to live and work with you for at least a few days, but probably a week or two. I wouldn't be surprised if he exhausted a few poor unsuspecting mathematicians.