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I feel the same way. His book A New Kind of Science (the first chapters) have been revolutionary. I think his work will lay down the foundations of science for

I feel the same way. His book A New Kind of Science (the first chapters) have been revolutionary. I think his work will lay down the foundations of science for centuries to come. It is curious though. Nearly every criticism I’ve read hasn’t grappled with his ideas—just the man, out of insecurity and ego. And he’s a lovely writer. I don’t sense ego from him. Just honesty about the work he’s done and contributed. You read him and get the sense his prose is calm—like light particles flowing down a river. His stories about the remarkable scientists he’s met is some of the best writing I’ve ever read.

gfodor 7y ago
One potential archetype for him that is consistent is he simply cannot recognize these political concerns. Many of us feel anxiety about the idea we may be interpreted as stepping on peoples' work, or failing to recognize their efforts and how they may have led to our own advancement. It may be that Wolfram, for whatever reason, simply doesn't have that - not out of malice, but just as a core deficiency in his ability to empathize. Any person like that would be viewed as a bull in a china shop, even if everything they wrote never directly attacked or diminished others - and that seems to be the case here. The problems people have with Wolfram are problems of "insult by omission" or "implicit bragging" - not about things that are on the page, but the things that aren't. Anyone who lacks this kind of empathy would simply not write them, and be confused as to why people react to their writing the way so many do.
- jjoonathan 7y ago
  His self-promotional patter is so simple and consistent you can train half-convincing markov models on it; clearly he could intellectually understand the problem and tone it down a notch or five if he wanted to. He doesn't, and IMO that makes him responsible.
  - gfodor 7y ago
    You literally are illustrating my point. He clearly doesn't. Motives unknown. Could be a personality disorder. In any case, rational people ought to just get over it.
    - jjoonathan 7y ago
      No, I don't think I am. > he simply cannot recognize these political concerns. I'm saying that he clearly can, but he chooses not to. If by "getting over it" you mean passing judgement and moving on to the theory itself, which is new and worth some thought & discussion, agreed 100%.
- DantesKite 7y ago
  I think the reaction of people to Stephen Wolfram talking about the brilliance of his work in a very mild-mannered way says more about them than it does about him.
mhh__ 7y ago
Revolutionary measured in how many correct predictions and Nobel prizes won?

gfodor 7y ago

One potential archetype for him that is consistent is he simply cannot recognize these political concerns. Many of us feel anxiety about the idea we may be interpreted as stepping on peoples' work, or failing to recognize their efforts and how they may have led to our own advancement. It may be that Wolfram, for whatever reason, simply doesn't have that - not out of malice, but just as a core deficiency in his ability to empathize. Any person like that would be viewed as a bull in a china shop, even if everything they wrote never directly attacked or diminished others - and that seems to be the case here. The problems people have with Wolfram are problems of "insult by omission" or "implicit bragging" - not about things that are on the page, but the things that aren't. Anyone who lacks this kind of empathy would simply not write them, and be confused as to why people react to their writing the way so many do.

jjoonathan 7y ago
His self-promotional patter is so simple and consistent you can train half-convincing markov models on it; clearly he could intellectually understand the problem and tone it down a notch or five if he wanted to. He doesn't, and IMO that makes him responsible.
- gfodor 7y ago
  You literally are illustrating my point. He clearly doesn't. Motives unknown. Could be a personality disorder. In any case, rational people ought to just get over it.
  - jjoonathan 7y ago
    No, I don't think I am. > he simply cannot recognize these political concerns. I'm saying that he clearly can, but he chooses not to. If by "getting over it" you mean passing judgement and moving on to the theory itself, which is new and worth some thought & discussion, agreed 100%.
DantesKite 7y ago
I think the reaction of people to Stephen Wolfram talking about the brilliance of his work in a very mild-mannered way says more about them than it does about him.

mhh__ 7y ago

Revolutionary measured in how many correct predictions and Nobel prizes won?