3 ms·
>His parents were Anarchists - in the workers'-movement, anti-Capitalist, revolutionary sense, Groethendieck wasn't. I'm not a Groethendieck scholar but I did
by EthanHeilman 7y ago
>His parents were Anarchists - in the workers'-movement, anti-Capitalist, revolutionary sense, Groethendieck wasn't.
I'm not a Groethendieck scholar but I did read a short biography of him and it definitely left me with the impression that he was an anarchist or left-libertarian in the anti-Capitalist, liberty, revolutionary sense. What are your sources to back up the claim that he wasn't?
>is activities did not involve Anarchist organizing/politics.
In Groethendieck's "The Responsibility of the Scientist Today [0] he writes:
"Thus the proliferation of military power and stocks of weapons throughout the world poses an ever-increasing danger not only to our species, but also to life in general. This predicament, unparalleled in the long history of biological evolution, must be met with immediate radical action."
He directly calls for political organization and radical action.
Edit: I don't object to getting voted down, but I would encourage anyone downvoting a comment on hackernews to provide their rational. This helps improve the quality of the discussion.
[0] "The Responsibility of the Scientist Today" (translated from French) http://ccnr.org/grothendieck.pdf" http://ccnr.org/grothendieck.pdf"
- Melting_Harps 7y agoI'm not sure why you're being downvoted, thanks for the link, I've bookmarked it for later reading. Was that short bio 'La Clef des Songes,' I heard it was translated into Spanish, but never looked to deep for it. People really should be forced to refute before they can downvote. Even if you disagree with his points, he gives substance for what and why he said what he did.
- EthanHeilman 7y agoThe short biography was "The Artist and the Mathematician: The Story of Nicolas Bourbaki, the Genius Mathematician Who Never Existed" [0]. It dedicates a good chunk of the book to the life of Grothendieck. Grothendieck was a member of the group that used the Nicolas Bourbaki pseudonym. It's a fun read you can finish in an afternoon. Not sure how accurate it is. [0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208933.The_Artist_and_the_Mathematician https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208933.The_Artist_and_th...
- sudosysgen 7y agoI honestly don't see the issue with this argument. How is it that this doesn't contribute to the discussion? I don't think it does. It also doesn't make any argument in bad faith or that is egregiously wrong, so I see absolutely no reason for it to be downvoted, unless the only objection is of the order of "I don't agree" or "I don't want to agree". Which is by itself a bad faith reason to downvote a post.