tea.mathoverflow.net - Discussion Feed (Influence of drugs in mathematics) Sun, 04 Nov 2018 20:56:07 -0800 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.1.9 & Feed Publisher Scott Morrison comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16714) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16714#Comment_16714 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16714#Comment_16714 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:28:31 -0700 Scott Morrison Closing now.

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Yemon Choi comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16713) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16713#Comment_16713 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16713#Comment_16713 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:13:39 -0700 Yemon Choi Still not appropriate - this is now just prurient. Why not start a blog and ask there, if the question holds that much interest for you?

I wonder if professional mathematician uses recreational drugs in their work for muse

Yes: in many cases, caffeine. Voting to close (+1 gilkalai and Noah Snyder)

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Zeeshan Mahmud comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16712) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16712#Comment_16712 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16712#Comment_16712 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:10:46 -0700 Zeeshan Mahmud Noah Snyder comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16711) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16711#Comment_16711 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16711#Comment_16711 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:53:22 -0700 Noah Snyder +1 gilkalai. Vote to close this thread.

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gilkalai comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16710) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16710#Comment_16710 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16710#Comment_16710 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:46:09 -0700 gilkalai quid comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16709) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16709#Comment_16709 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16709#Comment_16709 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:20:19 -0700 quid In view of Ryan's response to Steven I just would like to mention that neither would I be in favor of having an MO question on mathematicians eating a balanced diet, mathematicians being in good physical health, mathematicians getting regular exercise.

And, somthing else: there are statements to the extent, I could not produce a reference but I am certain to have read or seen this, that Erdős was not so happy regarding the popularization of this matter, mainly on the grounds that he was worried to set a bad example.

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Ryan Budney comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16708) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16708#Comment_16708 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16708#Comment_16708 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:38:17 -0700 Ryan Budney @Zeeshan: regarding the movie "Limitless," I suspect the reason they didn't investigate any interesting ideas is because that movie was marketed to 14-year-old moronic thugs. That was one of the worst movies I've ever seen -- and I've seen a lot of really bad movies!

Regarding openness, I think a lot of researchers are pretty open about these types of things. That does not mean this topic is appropriate for MO -- I think perhaps you have the wrong idea of what this forum is about. There's a big difference between relaying a personal anecdote to a friend (or having it in your personal biography) compared with putting it up on an internet forum which Google encourages everyone on the planet to read. Also, this topic strays way too far over the gossip vs. mathematics content line.

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Will Jagy comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16707) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16707#Comment_16707 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16707#Comment_16707 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:40:47 -0700 Will Jagy Zeeshan Mahmud comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16706) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16706#Comment_16706 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16706#Comment_16706 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:23:46 -0700 Zeeshan Mahmud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQKXgYfBxtU ]]>
Zeeshan Mahmud comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16705) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16705#Comment_16705 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16705#Comment_16705 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:16:10 -0700 Zeeshan Mahmud
I am curious as to if there is such a social stigma for drugs in academia how could be Tarski and Erdos too be so open about it back in the days. And as a whimsical side note, anyone else got bummed seeing the trailer of the movie Limitless and lamenting why would the protagonist NOT solve P-NP after consuming the 'magic pill' but would rather be super-rich finding algorithm in stock market analysis? ]]>
Ryan Budney comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16704) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16704#Comment_16704 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16704#Comment_16704 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:52:23 -0700 Ryan Budney @Steven: sure, but eating a balanced diet, being in good physical health, getting regular exercise, these are all far less controversial things that help one do mathematics. Killing other mathematicians and eating their brains might be another way to get mathematical inspiration. It's not clear that latter topic or the drugs topic really deserves an MO thread.

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Yemon Choi comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16703) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16703#Comment_16703 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16703#Comment_16703 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:25:38 -0700 Yemon Choi I suspect the influence is far less than individual anecdotes might suggest. ("For want of a nail, the battle was lost" -- actually, to be fair, the Stanley brothers switching sides probably had a greater effect.) It may even be comparable to the effect of fruit on mathematics, i.e. limited to a few fun stories.

The problem here seems to be an absence of a "control" for this thought experiment...

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Todd Trimble comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16702) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16702#Comment_16702 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16702#Comment_16702 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:20:07 -0700 Todd Trimble So, it seems you've answered your own question, Zeeshan. :-)

Although I still think it should not be an MO question, I actually find the question interesting. I have strong reason to believe that one of my undergraduate professors took cocaine specifically to enhance his mathematical thinking, although I would not dare name him. Numerous mathematicians have indulged in marijuana and LSD, but again, I wouldn't dare name anyone who had not gone public about that fact.

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Zeeshan Mahmud comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16701) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16701#Comment_16701 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16701#Comment_16701 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:05:06 -0700 Zeeshan Mahmud
http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v18n1/v18n1-MAPS_8-10.pdf

Edit: As an aside, perhaps Prof. Abraham should be let known about the unintended innuendo of "Trip reports" in his webpage. :) ]]>
Steven Gubkin comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16700) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16700#Comment_16700 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16700#Comment_16700 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:12:46 -0700 Steven Gubkin
I am not sure about the validity of this question as a MO question mostly because I can see potential for people getting "in trouble" by voicing their true opinions on this matter. It seems a little too controversial for MO, but I think it would fit with the site in a more open society. ]]>
Asaf Karagila comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16699) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16699#Comment_16699 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16699#Comment_16699 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:44:25 -0700 Asaf Karagila @Ryan: Seeing how you put it, we all abuse oxygen... :-)

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Ryan Budney comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16698) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16698#Comment_16698 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16698#Comment_16698 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:35:58 -0700 Ryan Budney @Asaf, "substance abuse" doesn't imply the substance is illegal. You can go overboard drinking coffee or taking aspirin -- the most likely result of the abuse would be a stomache ulcer.

IMO the question just isn't a good question for MO. All kinds of people abuse drugs, and mathematicians are not special in this regard. You could similarly ask which mathematicians have speeding tickets, or who've gone through multiple divorces, or which mathematicans suffered abnormally from acne as teenagers... These just aren't relevant questions.

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Asaf Karagila comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16697) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16697#Comment_16697 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16697#Comment_16697 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:12:07 -0700 Asaf Karagila In Pi there was no substance abuse. He suffered from migraines, while it is true he used copious amounts of medicine somewhats, it is not even closed to hinted that there was anything illegal about it.

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quid comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16696) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16696#Comment_16696 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16696#Comment_16696 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:12:03 -0700 quid @geraldedgar: Could you elaborate where exactly you read this in that book. I just searched for 'smoking' in it, and the only thing I found by doing so is in my opinion not really, to put it mildly, in line with what you claim Littlewood is saying. [He is describing a 'fatuous experiment' that included to give-up smoking, and it was quickly abandoned.] So, at least this paragraph to me rather suggest the opposite (for him, individually).

p.s. I do not wish to promote smoking. The sole goal is to have correct attributions of opinions.

p.p.s. I agree that this subject is unsuitable for MO.

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geraldedgar comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16695) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16695#Comment_16695 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16695#Comment_16695 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 05:50:38 -0700 geraldedgar (Since it seems this will not become an actual question I put this here...) We can read in Littlewood's Miscellany the paragraph he wrote about how smoking is detrimental for doing mathematics.

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Zeeshan Mahmud comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16694) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16694#Comment_16694 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16694#Comment_16694 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:42:05 -0700 Zeeshan Mahmud Todd Trimble comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16693) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16693#Comment_16693 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16693#Comment_16693 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:07:27 -0700 Todd Trimble Ditto. Definitely not acceptable (and libelous if it comes from anyone but the user).

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Mariano comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16692) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16692#Comment_16692 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16692#Comment_16692 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:27:51 -0700 Mariano +1 Will

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José Figueroa comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16691) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16691#Comment_16691 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16691#Comment_16691 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:11:19 -0700 José Figueroa +1 Will Jagy.

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Will Jagy comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16690) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16690#Comment_16690 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16690#Comment_16690 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:59:19 -0700 Will Jagy Zeeshan Mahmud comments on "Influence of drugs in mathematics" (16689) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16689#Comment_16689 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/1185/influence-of-drugs-in-mathematics/?Focus=16689#Comment_16689 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:55:57 -0700 Zeeshan Mahmud
Thus my question:

Are their any reputable (more specifically contemporary) mathematicians with history of drug use/abuse? ]]>