PROOF & NARRATIVE (torch.ox.ac.uk/narrativeandproof) I went to a highly publicized 90 minuntes event at the very fancy Andrew Wiles Building of Mathematics Institute with Marcus du Sautoy giving 20 minutes speech followed byBen Okri, Roger Penrose (mathematical physicist and books on conciousness, The Emperors New Mind) and Laura Marcus (novelist and professor of English at Oxford). All moderated by Elieke Boehmer (Professor of World Literature). When I saw the huge attendance, I thought Andrew Wiles was to announce that Fermats Last Theorem wasnt true after all, but he didnt show up. I was on a waiting list so I ended up in a room with live streaming from the real auditorium, that was so live after all. du Sautoys lecture got into a loop were the same 10 seconds of sound were repeated over and over, while the slides moved on... I actually loved the loop, but some people gave up on the whole thing and left. It was interesting to hear these people talk, but I cant see there is much truth or use in say a proof is a kind of narrative. There clearly are poems and short stories inspired by symmetries or containing precise patterns and people who has interest in both mathematics and literature. I remember the first (excellent) book I read on poetry [Seven Types of Ambiguity] in 1969 was written by a 26-year old mathematician, William Empson, which certainly impressed me. And du Sautoy gave several examples of literature (Borges and ??) with a mathematical theme. But in general I think the basic tenet of this event is simply untrue and would have to be documented much further by du Sautoy to be of interest. It seem like pretext for an co-organized between Mathematics and The Oxford Centre for Research in the Humanities.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 04:13:49 +0000
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