X-Message-Number: 3586 Date: 04 Jan 95 01:27:55 EST From: Paul Wakfer <> Subject: CRYONICS Scientific Babbling I am not naming any names. Let any for whom and to the degree to which "the shoe fits, wear it". But I think that the following story is germane to some of the postings which have appeared here recently. Over 25 years ago, in a previous life-time :-), when I was an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Toronto, I was approached by a man who asked me to look at some mathematical papers which he had written and tried to get published. Although having no credentials, he seemed like an intelligent and reasonable fellow. A quick glance at his writings showed them to be reasonably structured and legible; appearing very much like what one would see in a mathematical journal. Being without a PhD myself, I was not one to stand on credentials and was well aware of the problems that a non-member of the mathematics research establishment might have getting work published. I therefore agreed to have a look at them. What I found was, to me then, quite astonishing. On the surface, and in quite some detail, the work LOOKED like mathematics. I believe that most intelligent people, even academics in the arts and non-mathematically oriented sciences would not be able to tell the difference between his papers and most of those published in standard mathematical journals of the day. However, this man's "mathematical" papers were actually nothing but a meaningless juxtaposition and intermingling of the symbols and words of mathematics. Because such a possibility was completely unknown (even unthinkable) to me at the time, I looked long and hard through the papers for some shred of real mathematics. I even had several discussions with the man and tried to explain to him about what I had found (actually, not found). Eventually, I was forced to give up, to abandon him, and to accept the saddest fact of all. This man truly believed that he was doing mathematics and that his papers were just as important and beautiful as any being published in the mathematical journals. And, therefore, he also truly believed that he was being persecuted because of their refusal to publish his work. -- Paul Wakfer -- PS. Hey, I just realized that this man may have been SAVED by INTERNET. He may now be publishing without hinderance on SCI.MATH. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=3586