Even a proof oracle wouldn't end math: conjectures like Thurston's matter as much as proofs
keenanisalive · x · 2026-09-13
Imagining a hypothetical oracle that instantly proves or disproves any statement (a metaphor for AI mathematicians), keenanisalive argues math wouldn't be over: you'd still need to figure out how theorems relate, build the bigger picture, and explain it. He cites Thurston's geometrization conjecture — Perelman won the first Millennium Prize for proving it, but without Thurston's 1982 conjecture there'd be nothing to prove. Proofs are just part of the story.
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