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Mathematics and politics. Whom else can I remember? Ah! Galois. Do you remember more mathematicians who were also very involved in politics and other subjects w
by smlckz 6y ago
Mathematics and politics. Whom else can I remember? Ah! Galois. Do you remember more mathematicians who were also very involved in politics and other subjects which are (mostly) unrelated with maths?
- romwell 6y agoJim Simons (of Chern-Simons form). Lost his job as a head of a crypto lab for making comments critical of the Vietnam war to a local newspaper. Found another job, made strong contributions to geometry, and left mathematics altogether to make money. Now runs a hedge fund, makes billions. Sure, one can say that it's "related" to mathematics, but not from a standpoint of a pure mathematician. If he were a musician, he'd be closer to mathematics.
- harperlee 6y agoContemporanean one: Cedric Villani, Fields medallist and french deputy on the parliament. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9dric_Villani https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9dric_Villani
- nahuel0x 6y ago"Grothendieck's political views were radical and pacifist, and he strongly opposed both United States intervention in Vietnam and Soviet military expansionism. He gave lectures on category theory in the forests surrounding Hanoi while the city was being bombed, to protest against the Vietnam War"