I always used to wonder about kids in school who were really really good at maths. I struggled with the idea of that talent being somehow useful in the real world, given how little regard there is for super-intelligence considering how popular trashy TV is these days.
Then I saw this in the paper this morning and found it a little sad.
"A maths genius who won fame last week for apparently spurning a
million-dollar prize is living with his mother in a humble flat in St. Petersburg, co-existing on her £30-a-month pension, because he has been unemployed since December."
If you read on, the guy in question says:
"I do not think anything that I say can be of the slightest public interest," he said. "I am not saying that because I value my privacy, or that I am doing anything I want to hide. There are no top-secret projects going on here. I just believe the public has no interest in me."This guy seems to have done something incredible, I say seems because I don't understand the significance of it, yet he feels he has nothing to say that would be of value to the world.
I think this is sad. Read the full story here.
1 comment:
really hard to know how exactly this work contributes, even indirectly, to improving the lot of mankind.
It relates specifically to a branch of mathematics called topology.
It does look like he's going to be celebrated for his breakthrough, whether he wants it or not. This is only right. He should be heralded if he has contributed something significant.
It reminds me of that film about the janitor guy (matt damon) who solved a big mathematical challenge while he was walking past it mopping the floor. The idea was nice but if memory serves me correctly the film was a bit crap.
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