In my opinion one of the great contributions of Von Neumann was the fact his "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC" report was spread so quickly in academic circles. When Eckert and Mauchly attempted to apply to patent their ideas for the ENIAC, the courts decided that the report constituted prior publication, and their patent application failed, meaning the key ideas and concepts from the ENIAC, many which define modern computers, were now in public domain and could be used freely
The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
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Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
"99.9% genes in his case" You think if he was raised in a third-world country without access to education he would have achieved just as much? He was raised in the intellectual hothouse of turn of the century Hungary, which also produced many other eminent mathematicians. His parents were wealthy nobility, who could afford the best education for their children, and believed strongly in its value. "When they were youn…
> Most people don't get opportunities to study at one of the most elite educational institutions in the world, with world-class academics Most don't. Many do. And Vom Neumann was still massively ahead of them, and the rest of the world. Trying to write off his raw brain power as mostly a consequence of his socio-economic standing and upbringing is intellectually bankrupt but populist-pandering poppycock.
Then again you need all three for genius, confluence of raw material of talent, opportunity to train under great teachers and means to follow through with it.
Where the latter two are available, it is easier to find genius, which is why it often occurs in clusters.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually it is not just personal preference. I remember reading studies that show that school children perform worse when there is background noise. Here's one article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-motives/201...
I’m not trying to single you out but I think you are making an incredibly common mistake that I see everyone make all the time, and it almost never gets called out, so I’m going to do it here now: Just because a study finds that some cause, on average, has some effect, I don’t think it is correct to start believing that that cause and effect will hold for you or any else in particular. I’m convinced that for you nois…
> Just because a study finds that some cause, on average, has some effect, I don’t think it is correct to start believing that that cause and effect will hold for you or any else in particular.
Where did I say this at all? This is a straw man. The original comment stated, without any evidence at all, that noisy, chaotic environments aren't necessarily worse. I stated, with evidence, that it has been shown to have a negative effect on average. No where does this preclude that it may help some people or have no effect on some people.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
Intelligence only matters to a certain point for good administrators. Morality, courage, and, above all, self-restraint are just as important. These are the people capable of changing the rules in a way that benefits others even if it means a slight drop in personal wealth, power, or prestige. Often we seem to pick those who are constitutionally incapable of doing that, much to our detriment. (One big reason is that…
>civic-minded self-restraint. Such a well know American characteristic you needed a 22nd amendment.
Value != trait
If anything a value is something honored because the breech is more common, valued in part due to scarcity.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#75Great people are warranted discussion, but as someone who was once in the academic math world, I had to quit reading after a few sentences. Genius is a very real thing, but I don't need to read adulation after adulation in a series of anecdotes and quotes that will only make me feel inadequate. The mathematics itself is greater than the mathematician, who himself craps on the toilet like anyone else. Focus on the mat…
> Focus on the math, not the mathematician. It will make you happier. Personally I don't feel inadequate when reading about someone like von Neumann, as I'm not really tempted to compare myself to him in the first place. Colleagues are peers, people I graduated with are peers, but von Neumann is almost like another species. I forget who it was who pointed out that Silicon Valley billionaires tend to dress like 'norma…
>Colleagues are peers, people I graduated with are peers, but von Neumann is almost like another species.
Von Neumann's contemporaries agreed, which is why he and other Ashkenazi Jews from Hungary were nicknamed Martians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martians_(scientists) . Societal and genetic pressures over centuries produced unusually high IQs (and some associated genetic problems).
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
being better does mean being a copy of the guy
You can work as much as you like, you're still going to be nowhere near as smart as von Neumann. Why should that be motivating? I'm not convinced there's an upside to feeling inadequate by comparison.
Thank you for sharing your perspective on this. I think other people probably feel similarly.
I am old enough now that I accept my limitations, and have decided to apply my talents to areas that I find interesting and valuable.
Just because I will never be a Leibnitz, I’m still confident that I can help teach people what I know and help them on their own paths to reach their individual potential.
But still, I marvel at geniuses like Feynman who made things seem so effortless.