Friday, July 14, 2006
JSH: Another possibility
But it occurs to me that you people aren't really that dumb about mathematics and so unbelieving of mathematical proof that you think you can just wish away a mathematical result, or just say no, no, no.
Another more sinister possibility occurs to me which is that you actually thought you were part of some great conspiracy, so you expect some powers from somewhere to swoop in and make me disappear.
You poor people deluded yourselves probably believing that no one could find a short proof of Fermat's Last Theorem or the prime counting function I found or have any of these other major results and not get recognition unless it were part of some massive conspiracy.
But it wasn't.
My analysis is that some mathematicians at the top chose to sit quietly quite deliberately, but that most of you simply looked around, saw no one else reacting, and followed the crowd.
Simple human behavior people. No great conspiracy.
No one to save you here at the end. No secret government agency to sweep in out of the blue.
No one to back you up and make this story just disappear.
You will face the world, and the world will know what you and your community has done.
The gap is nearly complete.
The government agencies WILL come in soon enough, but they will come in investigating you people.
Another more sinister possibility occurs to me which is that you actually thought you were part of some great conspiracy, so you expect some powers from somewhere to swoop in and make me disappear.
You poor people deluded yourselves probably believing that no one could find a short proof of Fermat's Last Theorem or the prime counting function I found or have any of these other major results and not get recognition unless it were part of some massive conspiracy.
But it wasn't.
My analysis is that some mathematicians at the top chose to sit quietly quite deliberately, but that most of you simply looked around, saw no one else reacting, and followed the crowd.
Simple human behavior people. No great conspiracy.
No one to save you here at the end. No secret government agency to sweep in out of the blue.
No one to back you up and make this story just disappear.
You will face the world, and the world will know what you and your community has done.
The gap is nearly complete.
The government agencies WILL come in soon enough, but they will come in investigating you people.
# posted by James Harris @ 00:56 
