Thanks so much Roger for bringing me back Grothendieck. I met him probably about 25 years ago when there were almost not images in the internet and I remembered printing some of his hand written text La Clef des Rêves in blue paper. But at that time I was not ready for him. Now I guess I can deal with him. Amazing!
It's funny, I remember being a child - maybe around 8 - and asking my mum 'what if we are all just God's dream?'.
I can't remember what she said, but I think I was on to something. It's strange that the only people who can reach such insights are children and those who have re-discovered the child's mind.
This is a great essay. I consumed it first in its audio form while going about my day. When I was able to later find time to sit and read it on the page, I realized just how bizarrely brilliant its structure is. I hope to emulate it in my own written meditations.
Its content, though, more than its form, is what will bring me back to it. Thank you for the reminders. The record and study of dreams has been a steady practice of mine for decades (with gaps), and I hadn't realized how significant this was for Grothendieck as well. My early published research was in a field adjacent to algebraic geometry – although by now one can reasonably claim that all fields of modern mathematics are adjacent to one another due to the sheer scale of cross-pollination the internet has enabled. While it has been years since I exited academic circles, reading this essay was a serendipitous and encouraging reminder that one should persevere in their communion with mathematical creativity, for its own sake, as a way to nourish the soul.
Will check back in as I gradually make my way through your other posts.
Post script: what are your sources for La Clef des Songes? Are you translating from one of the French typescripts online?
Wow thank you for the kind words, it sounds like you were the perfect person to really appreciate what I was going for. You might be interested in the rest of the "dream now" series, would be curious to hear what you think - https://www.secretorum.life/s/dream-now
The section on Alexander Grothendieck is taken from Benjamin Labatut's 2020 book "When We Cease To Understand the World" pages 67-81
No its not
It's a sequence of words on a computer screen. How could that be taken from anywhere? What are you even talking about?
Ctrl+C
Do you have to cite math?
Do you have cite dreams?
Do you have to cite god?
Have to? No
Should you?
I can't answer all these questions for you buddy. Try writing about them
Stop reading my blog.
It's word for word
Thanks so much Roger for bringing me back Grothendieck. I met him probably about 25 years ago when there were almost not images in the internet and I remembered printing some of his hand written text La Clef des Rêves in blue paper. But at that time I was not ready for him. Now I guess I can deal with him. Amazing!
Great essay!
It's funny, I remember being a child - maybe around 8 - and asking my mum 'what if we are all just God's dream?'.
I can't remember what she said, but I think I was on to something. It's strange that the only people who can reach such insights are children and those who have re-discovered the child's mind.
This is a great essay. I consumed it first in its audio form while going about my day. When I was able to later find time to sit and read it on the page, I realized just how bizarrely brilliant its structure is. I hope to emulate it in my own written meditations.
Its content, though, more than its form, is what will bring me back to it. Thank you for the reminders. The record and study of dreams has been a steady practice of mine for decades (with gaps), and I hadn't realized how significant this was for Grothendieck as well. My early published research was in a field adjacent to algebraic geometry – although by now one can reasonably claim that all fields of modern mathematics are adjacent to one another due to the sheer scale of cross-pollination the internet has enabled. While it has been years since I exited academic circles, reading this essay was a serendipitous and encouraging reminder that one should persevere in their communion with mathematical creativity, for its own sake, as a way to nourish the soul.
Will check back in as I gradually make my way through your other posts.
Post script: what are your sources for La Clef des Songes? Are you translating from one of the French typescripts online?
Wow thank you for the kind words, it sounds like you were the perfect person to really appreciate what I was going for. You might be interested in the rest of the "dream now" series, would be curious to hear what you think - https://www.secretorum.life/s/dream-now
re: sources - I know this was one - https://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~leila.schneps/grothendieckcircle/Clefsummary.pdf
I had one other major one which I can't recall - if you google/chatGPT the excerpts I think something will show up