A Beautiful Mind: the Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash
A Beautiful Mind: the Life of Mathematical Genius and
Nobel Laureate John Nash
Author:
Sylvia
Nasar
Paperback:
464
pages
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster (December 4,
2001)
Language:
English
ISBN:
0743224574
Nobel Laureate John Nash
Author:
Sylvia
Nasar
Paperback:
464
pages
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster (December 4,
2001)
Language:
English
ISBN:
0743224574
When I saw the movie, I cried. It was so painful
to see such a bright person’s mind become clouded, ensnared with schizophrenia
in the prime of his career. I was a mathematician by scholastic training, and I
could see how someone would start seeing patterns in things that were actually
patternless. Loosing the ability to discern what’s real from the fake takes so
much away from ourselves. Nash wrote a seminal paper applying game theory to
economics, along with some other important mathematical proofs. But, he became
schizophrenic, which, for a while, cost him his family and his job, along with
anything like a normal life. He had two children, one of whom inherited his
illness. Eventually, he says that he decided that what he was experiencing
wasn’t real and wasn’t pleasant, and so he started telling himself which things
were real and which not; this is how he says he clawed his way back to sanity,
in time to collect a Nobel prize in
Economics.
to see such a bright person’s mind become clouded, ensnared with schizophrenia
in the prime of his career. I was a mathematician by scholastic training, and I
could see how someone would start seeing patterns in things that were actually
patternless. Loosing the ability to discern what’s real from the fake takes so
much away from ourselves. Nash wrote a seminal paper applying game theory to
economics, along with some other important mathematical proofs. But, he became
schizophrenic, which, for a while, cost him his family and his job, along with
anything like a normal life. He had two children, one of whom inherited his
illness. Eventually, he says that he decided that what he was experiencing
wasn’t real and wasn’t pleasant, and so he started telling himself which things
were real and which not; this is how he says he clawed his way back to sanity,
in time to collect a Nobel prize in
Economics.
Its obvious Nasar cares
deeply about this story. She has done painstaking research (as evidenced by the
number of notes at the rear of the volume). She also helped publish Nash’s
papers (I saw that book at Borders this last weekend – guess I’ll have to slog
through some game theory at some point – haven’t done that in at least 20
years).
Its a sad story but one that
should be read by anyone interested in the ultimate strength of the
mind.
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+Bob Hays
- I'm a father and husband, have two schipperkes, like to read, compose music, travel. And I manage a couple software development teams at DIRECTV.
English
September 12th, 2005 by alephnaught