Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

A real comparison is of course impossible, but of that coterie, Kurt Gödel is a strong contender. As the original post mentions, he singlehandedly destroyed Hilbert's formalist program (which von Neumann was also working on) and von Neumann is quoted as saying he was "in a class by himself". There is the famous letter from Gödel to von Neumann which anticipates the P=NP problem by decades.

In a different era, I think Blaise Pascal is also a contender. At age 19 he invented a working mechanical calculator with a functional carry mechanism, which somehow his contemporaries failed to achieve for the next sixty years.



Legend has it that when Gödel presented his paper von Neumann was the only one in the room that threw in the towel on Hilbert's program on the spot.


What is the letter? Sounds interesting.


The first part is actually quoted in the original post. The full letter is here: https://rjlipton.wordpress.com/the-gdel-letter/




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: