W.P. Thurston's classic essay 'On Proof and Progress in Mathematics' (PDF)
FrnkNlsn · x · 2026-10-13
A share of the PDF of William P. Thurston's influential essay "On Proof and Progress in Mathematics." Written in response to Jaffe and Quinn's article, it argues that mathematical progress is fundamentally about advancing human understanding rather than merely accumulating theorems, citing the four-color theorem machine-proof controversy as an example of mathematicians' desire for humanly comprehensible proofs.
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