

Alexander Grothendieck, the secret genius of mathematics - ar7hur
http://al3x.svbtle.com/alexander-grothendieck

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ctchocula
"In our knowledge of the things of the universe (whether mathematical or
otherwise), the power to innovate that lies within us is really nothing but
innocence. It is the original innocence that we were all endowed with at
birth, that lives inside all of us, but is often the object of our contempt
and of our most secret fears. This innocence is what brings together the
humility and the audacity that make it possible for us to get to the heart of
things, but also allows things to deeply affect us and get under our skin so
that they leave a lasting imprint on our minds and souls."

Grothendieck's writing is beautifully translated and is a beacon of moral
courage.

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tel
I don't yet know how to say it, but I quit my PhD for the same reasons
expressed by Grothendieck here. I'm not yet interested in talking about it; I
feel confident and confused about it. Instead, more, I just felt the need to
confess some small sympathy with the ideas expressed in these quotes.

~~~
mietek
I am one-quarter into "Disciplined Minds", a book by John Pilger. It looks
like the author may be addressing similar issues. Have you perhaps read this
book?

~~~
calibraxis
Minor correction: Jeff Schmidt was the author. ([http://disciplined-
minds.com/](http://disciplined-minds.com/))

(Just in case someone loses a couple minutes searching. :)

~~~
mietek
Oops. My bad for posting while sleep-deprived. Thanks.

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cafebeen
David Mumford did a great job summarizing his contributions:

[http://www.dam.brown.edu/people/mumford/blog/2014/Grothendie...](http://www.dam.brown.edu/people/mumford/blog/2014/Grothendieck.html)

On a side note, this was an obituary invited by Nature that was surprisingly
rejected for being too technical!

~~~
ddumas
The obituary _was_ too technical for Nature.

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ar7hur
Here is the original work "Récoltes et Semailles" from Grothendieck (PDF,
French): [http://lipn.univ-
paris13.fr/~duchamp/Books&more/Grothendieck...](http://lipn.univ-
paris13.fr/~duchamp/Books&more/Grothendieck/RS/pdf/RetS.pdf)

Brace yourself, it's about 1000 thousand pages, sometimes very technical. The
post I translated is a very short summary.

~~~
ZoF
1000 thousand pages

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myg204
The CERN talk referred to in the article is also available as an mp3 audio
here: [https://archive.org/details/AlexandreGrothendieck-
UneVieDign...](https://archive.org/details/AlexandreGrothendieck-
UneVieDigneDtreVcue)

It's in French, but very touching to hear A. Grothendieck's voice.

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andyrj
Sounds like quite an amazing and brave individual. We need more of his
caliber. Is there a translation of his writing available in English? I would
be very interested in reading more of his "Crops and Seeds"

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Punoxysm
How can someone be a "secret" genius if they are one of the most famous
mathematicians of the 20th century and received the field's highest honor?

I do not think that word means what you think it means.

~~~
Kabukks
I guess it's because he isn't as widely known to the public as other
'geniuses'. Or at least the people that label him as such feel that he isn't.

