JSH: Weird "mathematicians"

From: James Harris (jstevh_at_msn.com)
Date: 06/11/04 

Date: 11 Jun 2004 06:00:08 -0700

It tooks me a little while to figure out that many of you on this
newsgroup, and a surprising number of mathematicians that I contacted,
actually hate mathematics and especially algebra.

After all, mathematical results are *hard* in that you can't wish them
away, or change them, so it amazed me for quite some time that so many
of you would fight against results that I could prove with a rigor far
outside of most mathematical works.

One of the more bizarre things for me a while back was when I'd step
through arguments in such detail that it was like I was teaching basic
arithmetic and some poster would come back and act like I hadn't said
anything that made sense.

For a while I almost started to doubt myself until that pivotal day
last August when I went and talked to Professor McKenzie *in person*
at Vanderbilt University, and could watch him as I explained.

Then I knew: some of you *hate* algebra.

For you mathematics is a social game. You work to please a committee
that you want to sign off on your math papers, but you don't actually
believe in mathematics.

Now "pure math" makes sense as well as clearly it's a pea*** game,
where some of you see it as a way to show you as being highly
intelligent and thus more desirable to women.

That "useless" aspect of "pure math" is important to you, just like
it's important to the male pea*** that his large tail is useless,
except for getting female peacocks.

Ultimately your society got screwed by one major thing: you said
factoring was a hard problem.

If it weren't for that then you could probably have gone on for
another hundred years or more with massively screwed up works accepted
because so many of you are like male peacocks trying to
impress...someone...even other males!

But no, you told the world factoring was a hard problem so the end
here was never really in doubt, as you see, the math doesn't care
about your feelings or your need to impress others.

All I ever had to do was just handle the factoring thing, and it
doesn't matter what you say. Some of you will probably reply to this
post as if all that matters is what you say.

But in a little while the world will come for you. The clock is now
ticking, and your fate is sealed.

You shouldn't hate Mother Mathematics. Hating mathematics is just a
sure way to ruin. And hating mathematics while taking on the title
mathematician, is just plain suicidal.

James Harris

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