BBC-Dangerous Knowledge (Part 9-10)

In this one-off documentary, David Malone looks at four brilliant mathematicians - Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing - whose genius has profoundly affected us, but which tragically drove them insane and eventually led to them all committing suicide.


The film begins with Georg Cantor, the great mathematician whose work proved to be the foundation for much of the 20th-century mathematics. He believed he was God's messenger and was eventually driven insane trying to prove his theories of infinity.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• BBC
• Dangerous
• Knowledge
• Mathematician
• Infinity

[TheGreatAfricanGuru]

O My God.

To kill a man is definitely wrong.

To kill a gifted man who changes history should be classified as a crime against mankind

[VerseInfinitum]

I couldn't agree with you any more TheGreatAfricanGuru. An unnecessary death of a gifted person who's benevolent and trustworthy would a disaster of mankind but also the possibilities of our lives.

[tatsumakisempyukaku]

Exactly. Einstein and surprisingly godel had it right. While I wouldnt call it intuition, there is something about us that goes beyond logic. What argument or equation can you use to let a blind person see red? There is none. They have to see for themselves. It's ostensive

[celainea]

@ninjatoothpaste They, the great powers that be, thought homosexuality would lead to blackmail. Curious, since in Turing's case, he was already out. Well, the great powers that be have been stupidly wrong before. It takes the People to awaken from their stupors and join together, before any real change occurs and the creative mind is truly free.

[celainea]

@Oscar301 Humans try to control, because they fear change, but change is inevitable because no system is static. Until mankind can embrace change, there will be war, poverty, dis-ease, and unrest caused by those who try to stop change. To quote the great Native thinkers, when you see change begin, embrace it and evolve. The more individuals embrace change, the more the possibility that humankind will follow.

[ninjatoothpaste]

How the fuck did that manage to contrive that homosexuality was a security risk? Did they think they could smuggle a man (spy) from Russia into the country in their asses!? Evil, unthinking scum - people who think like that ruin, and are still ruining our world!

[GrafVonZeppelin2008]

Einstein was Austrian?? BBC, get your facts straight.

[TheRavingRandomist]

@MrNightLifeLover "??"

so you are half awoken now?

for the entrée of Turing into this

(somewhat threadbare) documentary

you might want to watch the previous installment also

(exchange your watch with an alarm clock or sack out earlier)

[MrNightLifeLover]

@TheRavingRandomist ??

[TheRavingRandomist]

Suicide by a poisoned apple?

That's kind of drama-queen-esque, isn't it...

But i don't want to make fun of a man i little understand:

Life is a dream (digital/quantum/orotherwise) which can turn nightmare

at any time of destiny's chosing (just to imagine2 be subject 2 a sexaltering procedure!)

What pitiable creatures we are in the end.

Who ever bore this presumptious idea that we should be chosen by destiny (devine?) 2 know it all.

All these brilliant minds would have come 2 dust sans suicide!

[TheRavingRandomist]

@MrNightLifeLover wake up!

[amanofthisworld]

@ThcPatient

We are not lawyers in a court - take it from the context what the man want to say... :D