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Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

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Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#251

Post by unsupp0rted »

LudwigNagasena wrote: post #245
woodruffw wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we sometimes understate philosophy's progress: it's certainly not measurable in decades, but the world of 2022 looks very different (in terms of philosophical priors and their consequences) than the world of Socrates or Confucius. A handful of examples that come to mind: * (Nearly) everybody on our planet lives under a government whose fundamental structure and right to power comes from modern (meaning 17th c…

Did those things appear because philosophers talked about them or did philosophers talk about them because they appeared?

I can easily imagine an Earth with no philosophers after say Aristotle that is functionally identical to our current one.

Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#252

Post by woodruffw »

LudwigNagasena wrote: post #245
woodruffw wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we sometimes understate philosophy's progress: it's certainly not measurable in decades, but the world of 2022 looks very different (in terms of philosophical priors and their consequences) than the world of Socrates or Confucius. A handful of examples that come to mind: * (Nearly) everybody on our planet lives under a government whose fundamental structure and right to power comes from modern (meaning 17th c…

Did those things appear because philosophers talked about them or did philosophers talk about them because they appeared?

Each of the examples I gave have direct origins in philosophy. It’s not even clear what the alternative would be for Hobbes and Popper; for Frege you could call him a mathematician instead, I suppose, if you ignore all of the other philosophy he did.

Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#253

Post by lawrenceyan »

gavagai691 wrote: post #13
whytai wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even more incredible is that his own advisor refused to write him letters of recommendation upon graduation [1] After graduation, Zhang had trouble finding an academic position. In a 2013 interview with Nautilus magazine, Zhang said he did not get a job after graduation. "During that period it was difficult to find a job in academics. That was a job market problem. Also, my advisor [Tzuong-Tsieng Moh] did not write m…

Yes, if you want to see something incredible (in both the literal sense and the usual sense), read https://www.math.purdue.edu/~ttm/ZhangYt.pdf (by Moh).

It's tragic how the relationship dynamics between Moh and Zhang almost resulted in the total write-off of Zhang and a loss of genius/talent, with nothing left but bitterness and animosity.

I'm glad Zhang was able to find success despite his initial setbacks and from what it seems like in his recent interviews also let go of his bitterness/resentment (holding something like that in your heart can only ever hold you back). And though the power dynamics here were clearly unequal, I don't think it's fair to blame Moh entirely for what happened at Purdue.

I think it's important to remember Moh is also human with all the complexity that comes along with that. In reading his published statement, even though there is no direct apology to Zhang, I sense that he does genuinely regret how things turned out.

Perhaps one day, Zhang and Moh will be able to meet again and resolve/rekindle their relationship.

Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#254

Post by woodruffw »

adalacelove wrote: post #244
woodruffw wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we sometimes understate philosophy's progress: it's certainly not measurable in decades, but the world of 2022 looks very different (in terms of philosophical priors and their consequences) than the world of Socrates or Confucius. A handful of examples that come to mind: * (Nearly) everybody on our planet lives under a government whose fundamental structure and right to power comes from modern (meaning 17th c…

We measure philosophy success relative to finding the meaning of life. On the other hand everybody agrees that computers have advanced enormously without achieving yet AGI.

“We” don’t do anything of the sort. The meaning of life is a Douglas Adams joke; philosophy’s scope extends slightly further.

Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#256

Post by sharp11 »

rutgersnj22 wrote: post #211

I just read an article from Yitang Zhang's little sister (in Chinese). It touched my soul. A must-read (translated from Chinese using Google translation): https://zhishifenzi-com.translate.goog/depth/character/480.h... Part of the translation is not so perfect and you have to use your best guess sometimes. The Chinese version is a masterpiece. In addition, here is an article from Yitang Zhang's PhD advisor. Not so ni…

Could you provide a link to original (Chinese) article?

Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#257

Post by bmitc »

fnordpiglet wrote: post #53
kenjackson wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone needs to make a movie about his life, or at least a documentary.

Good luck finding a movie about Isaac Newton or Einstein, or literally anyone whose value to the world is more than pretending to be someone else or lying a lot, let alone a very interesting mathematician no one recognizes. (Ok I know there’s a few movies about folks like Turing and Nash, but it’s pretty slim pickings).

Also, biopics are terrible. I can't think of a single one that is worth it, especially if you consider that for many of the subjects, you could just watch a documentary on the person anyway, often with real footage and interviews with them. Biopics are usually just cash grabs and weird Hollywood flexes about mimicking someone else. The fact that they do so well at the awards ceremonies speaks to this.

Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#259

Post by tzfld »

ahzhou wrote: post #143
mabbo wrote: post #9

I'm not a mathematician, but the story of Yitang Zhang desperately makes me want this paper to be correct. > Prior to getting back to academia, he worked for several years as an accountant and a delivery worker for a New York City restaurant. He also worked in a motel in Kentucky and in a Subway sandwich shop. A profile published in the Quanta Magazine reports that Zhang used to live in his car during the initial job…

While not common, I know of other Chinese diaspora in North America with similar stories. Many graduates from post Cultural Revolution China left the country in 90's and found the language barrier (and accompanying discrimination) too high to overcome. The man delivering your fried rice might have a PhD.

Eastern Europeans can relate too. Lots of people with phd from finance to physics and philosophy were or at least started like that in Western Europe too.

Re: Monumental (if correct) advance in number theory posted to ArXiv by Yitang Zhang

#260

Post by zimpenfish »

Brings to mind Gould's quote - "I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops."

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/99345-i-am-somehow-less-int...

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