5 ms·

None of those quotes are derogatory toward Feynman, and I don't see how Wolfram being pleased by Feynman liking his idea says anything about Wolframs ego. In fa

by stiff 13y ago

None of those quotes are derogatory toward Feynman, and I don't see how Wolfram being pleased by Feynman liking his idea says anything about Wolframs ego. In fact, this was very modest for Wolfram standards, and a much more interesting and cultured homage to a friend, than the ones by Susskind or Gell-Mann: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpjwotips7E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpjwotips7E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnMsgxIIQEE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnMsgxIIQEE I must say I in general don't understand the hate a lot of people have for Wolfram, he clearly is a bit narcissistic, but what he writes and says is always otherwise genuinely interesting, even if not as earth shattering as he would like. Certainly his work is not cargo cult science, he did genuinely advance the research in cellular automata, and he even did some lasting minor contribution to physics in his early days: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Wolfram#Particle_physics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Wolfram#Particle_physic...

m0nastic 13y ago
I don't know if the vehement dislike for Wolfram is all necessarily rooted in the same underlying cause. I suspect different people have different reasons for it. I think there is a kind of idealized scientist that nerds want to look up to. A great sense of humility, a clear sense of purpose, an unwavering commitment to reason and rationality. Yet I can think of no famous scientist that actually fits that mold. Another poster brings up Kanye West, someone that people seethe over that he isn't humble enough. I read in the parent's comment a sense of great frustration, that somehow Wolfram isn't being sufficiently reverent to someone who they clearly idolize. I can almost see spittle forming at the corners of their mouth. It makes me a little sad. Wolfram certainly doesn't do himself any favors by reinforcing the narrative that he has a big ego, and always working in a reference to his book (which I think this essay is much more appropriate for then how he shoe-horns it into his other writing). But I get it. People don't like it when you toot your own horn. Although if I spent ten years writing a giant science tome I'd probably want to bring it up all the time as well. I suspect Wolfram is aware of this perception of him (I think I've actually read him mention it before). I kind of hope he ignores it though.
- shadowfox 13y ago
  > A great sense of humility > But I get it. People don't like it when you toot your own horn You have a point. But often enough people do not like it (only) when others toot their horn. They have no qualms about tooting their own horn (usually under some notion of "promoting yourself").
thearn4 13y ago
> I must say I in general don't understand the hate a lot of people have for Wolfram I can only speak for myself here, but hate is definitely the wrong word. In fact, I actually greatly admire his work and value the insight offered in his writings. Mathematica was also a pretty valuable tool for me while I was in grad school. At the same time, consider for a moment his self-description in the Mathematica documentation & in his books (http://reference.wolfram.com/legacy/v5_2/book/section-0.1.1 http://reference.wolfram.com/legacy/v5_2/book/section-0.1.1, , http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0521643147/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0521643147/ref=sib_dp_pt#rea... [scroll to the back cover]): > Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica, and a well-known scientist. He is widely regarded as the most important innovator in technical computing today, as well as one of the world's most original research scientists. I'm sorry, but there is no scientist or mathematician who should feel comfortable writing or approving that sort of un-objective self-evaluation.

by stiff 13y ago

m0nastic 13y ago

I don't know if the vehement dislike for Wolfram is all necessarily rooted in the same underlying cause. I suspect different people have different reasons for it. I think there is a kind of idealized scientist that nerds want to look up to. A great sense of humility, a clear sense of purpose, an unwavering commitment to reason and rationality. Yet I can think of no famous scientist that actually fits that mold. Another poster brings up Kanye West, someone that people seethe over that he isn't humble enough. I read in the parent's comment a sense of great frustration, that somehow Wolfram isn't being sufficiently reverent to someone who they clearly idolize. I can almost see spittle forming at the corners of their mouth. It makes me a little sad. Wolfram certainly doesn't do himself any favors by reinforcing the narrative that he has a big ego, and always working in a reference to his book (which I think this essay is much more appropriate for then how he shoe-horns it into his other writing). But I get it. People don't like it when you toot your own horn. Although if I spent ten years writing a giant science tome I'd probably want to bring it up all the time as well. I suspect Wolfram is aware of this perception of him (I think I've actually read him mention it before). I kind of hope he ignores it though.

shadowfox 13y ago
> A great sense of humility > But I get it. People don't like it when you toot your own horn You have a point. But often enough people do not like it (only) when others toot their horn. They have no qualms about tooting their own horn (usually under some notion of "promoting yourself").

thearn4 13y ago

> I must say I in general don't understand the hate a lot of people have for Wolfram I can only speak for myself here, but hate is definitely the wrong word. In fact, I actually greatly admire his work and value the insight offered in his writings. Mathematica was also a pretty valuable tool for me while I was in grad school. At the same time, consider for a moment his self-description in the Mathematica documentation & in his books (http://reference.wolfram.com/legacy/v5_2/book/section-0.1.1 http://reference.wolfram.com/legacy/v5_2/book/section-0.1.1, , http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0521643147/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0521643147/ref=sib_dp_pt#rea... [scroll to the back cover]): > Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica, and a well-known scientist. He is widely regarded as the most important innovator in technical computing today, as well as one of the world's most original research scientists. I'm sorry, but there is no scientist or mathematician who should feel comfortable writing or approving that sort of un-objective self-evaluation.