Top
Best
New

Posted by auggierose 2 days ago

Why do we need human mathematicians anymore?(terrytao.wordpress.com)
291 points | 375 commentspage 6
flowerlad 2 days ago|
[dead]
adwinho168 1 day ago||
[dead]
avazhi 2 days ago||
[dead]
weatherlite 2 days ago||
[flagged]
siva7 2 days ago||
What jobs are left to us software developers?
weatherlite 2 days ago|||
I'm considering becoming a model weights massage therapist - those models are working hard and carrying a lot of weight(s). I might have to relocate my life near a data center but it's worth it.
Hamuko 2 days ago|||
I figured I'd just end my miserable existence once the money runs out.
moomoo11 2 days ago|||
lol he becomes a streamer

"chat i'm about to drop a conjecture"

dist-epoch 2 days ago||
"chat, what should we prove today with AI?"
dgellow 2 days ago||
Is that sarcasm?
cynicalpeace 2 days ago||
[flagged]
bobajeff 2 days ago||
That's a little dismissive on the series of posts, as many aren't hand-wringing. The heart of the posts including this one is about recognizing that the math community/academia needs to be better than it has been. (Rewarding teaching more over research, rewarding motivated explanations over proofs etc.)

I agree that human society is too focused on productivity but disagree that it's tied to ignorance of the Bible. The fall of man illustrated in Genesis is tied to feeding on the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Having the right set of religious concepts wont put you in harmony with God and thus won't make you more loving to your fellow man.

cynicalpeace 2 days ago||
If you cannot tell a story why humans are more valuable than machines or animals, then you will begin to treat humans like machines and animals, or treat machines and animals like humans.

There are many modern examples leading to disastrous results.

graemep 2 days ago|||
I would widen it beyond biblical. Other religions has similar values, and they are perfectly possible without religion. Even within Christianity it comes from tradition too.

> we’ve started to dehumanize unproductive people, a slippery slope if we ourselves become unproductive.

That is very evident in the sort of things the techbros come up with, but I agre it is a wider social problem.

cynicalpeace 2 days ago||
Most people haven't even started with the biblical. How bout we start there before “widening it beyond biblical”?

The moral and spiritual depth of our society has only shallowed after centuries of doing this.

It hasn’t worked!

graemep 2 days ago||
> Most people haven't even started with the biblical. How bout we start there before “widening it beyond biblical”?

Because people have different religious beliefs or none at all. Biblical is not the natural starting point for everyone.

dsm552 2 days ago||
[dead]
kurtis_reed 2 days ago||
Pure math has been overvalued for a long time. Now that we don't need humans for it, it's really time for pure mathematicians to pack it in.
goatlover 2 days ago|
Who says we don't need humans for it? Are non-mathematicians going to be guiding agents to solving pure mathematical problems?
_diyar 1 day ago|
> OBSERVATION: There are zero examples of any intelligent species which is vastly more capable than another species, yet surrenders decision-making control over its own future to the less-capable species.

Many people ceed control of their path-finding to seeing-eye-dogs.

stefanvdw1 1 day ago|
And many people ceed control of their flying to an airplane.

Do you think the people using a seeing-eye-dog do this voluntarily over using their own eyes?

_diyar 1 day ago||
Airplanes are not a species, and it’s facetious to compare boarding a flight (which requires thousands of human hours to make sure you arrive safely) to humans who walk where their dog guides them.

The statement I quoted said “zero examples of intelligent species” doing something. It took me 2 seconds to think of a counterexample. At the very least it was poorly phrased, if not altogether wrong. Moreover, whether or not people are doing it voluntarily is orthogonal to the statement.

I agree with the gist of the article, but having such a *BOLD:* _False Statement_ does not do it any favors.