ATDTDA (7): 201-203 decoding

[Ray Easton]

On Monday, Apr 30, 2007, at 13:24 US/Central, David Morris wrote:

> On 4/30/07, Ray Easton <kraimie at kraimie.net> wrote:
>>
>> What most struck me is rather the "theological" nature of the 
>> mathematics being performed in AtD.
>>
>> Yashmeen seems to think she will achieve some sort of transcendence 
>> if she can penetrate into the mysteries of the zeta function.  This 
>> is complete nonsense, and TP surely knows that it is complete >> nonsense
>
> I suppose it seems like nonsense to a math guy in the early 21st
> Century, but these dreamers are living in a fairly new math-world, and
> its limits are not yet understood.

I disagree.  Yashmeen is being taught by Hilbert, the pre-eminent 
mathematical formalist.    The notion that mathematics could ever lead 
beyond itself would certainly have been at odds with the mainstream 
mathematical culture of Gottingen at that time.

> These young math-seekers are
> HOPING for transcendence, much like the young Franz Pokler is when he
> first seeks that rocket experiment.  They both dream of "some sort of
> transcendence."

Yes, with that I agree.

Ray