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I found this to be an interesting read, though it's just a high-level plan, vs. breaking new ground. I like how the ideas are synthesized. A fun detail is to b
by marojejian 2y ago
I found this to be an interesting read, though it's just a high-level plan, vs. breaking new ground. I like how the ideas are synthesized.
A fun detail is to be found in a footnote:
"A mathematician is a person who can find analogies between theorems; a better mathematician is one who can see analogies between proofs and the best mathematician can notice analogies between theories. One can imagine that the ultimate mathematician is one who can see analogies between analogies.” (attributed to Stefan Banach in
Randrianantoanina and Randrianantoanina [2007]).
And reading this, it seems to me this implies the "ultimate" mathematician is a poet.
P.S. I initially assumed "Randrianantoanina and Randrianantoanina" was the title of some nerdy speculative fiction. It turns out this is a regular paper reference. The authors are Malagasy, no doubt. They have such cool names there.
- ben_w 2y ago> P.S. I initially assumed "Randrianantoanina and Randrianantoanina" was the title of some nerdy speculative fiction. It turns out this is a regular paper reference. The authors are Malagasy, no doubt. They have such cool names there. Given what else Banach is famous for, I assumed a Banach–Tarski joke.
- card_zero 2y ago> the "ultimate" mathematician is a poet. Approximately, but not actually, a member of the set of poets.
- svantana 2y ago> it seems to me this implies the "ultimate" mathematician is a poet. And, conversely, that the best mathematical theorems read like beautiful poetry.