‹ BackHN Continuity

Thread

If math is more than proof, we need to better celebrate the rest of it

433 points · 285 comments · num42

  1. kurthr · · focus · HN ↗
    This goes in a necessary direction, from my personal take away of Gower's recent post on the subject.

    Mathematics is suffering from Goodhart's Law:

    "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."

    1. lacedeconstruct · · focus · HN ↗
      Doing something difficult was a signal that you:

      a- understood it and all the background information it requires

      b- internalized techniques and methods that are helpful in problem solving in general

      Now it just means nothing

      1. Razengan · · focus · HN ↗
        > Now it just means nothing

        Now it means we can move on to other difficult shit.

        1. lacedeconstruct · · focus · HN ↗
          There is a finite capacity/time for a human mind to do difficult shit, if it can be slop forked in a microsecond before you even get to flesh it out there is no point
          1. Razengan · · focus · HN ↗
            Well then you have time to invent some new difficult shit.

            3Blue1Brown: The last IMO problem AI could not solve:

            <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=Nbwv5wHQoj0" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=Nbwv5wHQoj0

        2. busyant · · focus · HN ↗
          And what would that be?
          1. Razengan · · focus · HN ↗
            Have you seen the night sky, outside a city?
            1. jplusequalt · · focus · HN ↗
              Space colonization will never happen.
              1. Razengan · · focus · HN ↗
                People like you will always happen.
                1. jplusequalt · · focus · HN ↗
                  People who understand the vast gulf of technological advancements (some bordering on fantasy) between what we currently have, and what needs to exist for it to happen?
            2. busyant · · focus · HN ↗
              I have. Was that the hard part?
        3. js8 · · focus · HN ↗
          Today, the difficult shit is how to get the resources from the people who use them to turn difficult shit into an easy shit. Basically, a war. I am not sure I want people to move on to that.
Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.