Alexander Grothendieck: a forgotten genius– or a lonely madman?
Alexander Grothendieck, a revolutionary mathematician, withdrew from academia in 1970, lived in isolation, produced extensive writings, and his ideas are now being explored for applications in artificial intelligence.
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Alexander Grothendieck, a renowned mathematician, lived a life marked by brilliance and isolation. Born in 1928, he fled Nazi Germany and later transformed mathematics by unifying various disciplines through innovative concepts. His work, which introduced a new understanding of space, earned him a place among the greats of postwar mathematics. However, in 1970, Grothendieck abruptly left his prestigious position at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, disillusioned by its funding sources. He retreated into seclusion, living in a dilapidated home in the French Pyrenees, where he became increasingly disconnected from reality. His later years were characterized by a prolific output of writings, totaling around 70,000 pages, which some view as the ramblings of a madman, while others believe they may hold profound insights. His son, Matthieu, reflects on the burdens of his father's legacy, suggesting that Grothendieck's genius was intertwined with personal trauma and existential inquiries, particularly regarding the nature of evil. Despite his withdrawal from the mathematical community, Grothendieck's ideas are experiencing renewed interest, with potential applications in artificial intelligence being explored by companies like Huawei. The future of his extensive writings remains uncertain as they are set to be archived for scholarly research.
- Alexander Grothendieck revolutionized mathematics but withdrew from the field in 1970.
- He lived in isolation for decades, producing a vast amount of esoteric writings.
- His concepts are now being considered for applications in artificial intelligence.
- Grothendieck's legacy is complicated by personal trauma and existential questions.
- His son is navigating the implications of his father's extensive and complex body of work.
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10 commentsThe story of Grothendieck is a tragedy about a generational genius, not unlike Godel’s story. It’s deep and far reaching enough to stand on its own without AI hype making it appear more relevant.
Never heard of him before, RIP but this reads like the beginning of neal stephenson novel… interesting
Something that caught my attention recalling Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy on the need for conceptual or apriori knowledge based proofs than empirical or derived in math.
[1] french, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8BbFTEyvIw
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