Why bother pretending that you can contribute anything to science

Yes, but there will be one Tao better than the rest of the Tao's.

And that will be me : )

Why not just learn to enjoy being ordinary?

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>that feel when low IQ

>>7752194
lmao

enjoy mediocrity

once you gain a modicum of intelligence, someone stupid saying something stupid makes you mad and depressed af

I want all retards dead, starting with myself

>>7752193
Two Taos don't make a right.

>>7752190
terrence tao isn't concerned with biochemistry

>>7752190
Didn't Tao literally write about this?

There is a lot of work to do in math, just focus on solving the smaller/easier problems in the field.

op is pretty much right
most researchers are solving small, barely relevant problems and their papers get 3 citations over next 5 yeaars

Well if you at least have a 140IQ it would still be worth it

>>7752215
It's math, even the most major modern papers get like 10 over 5 years. There isn't much to reason to cite for example solved problems.

The 300k+ citations only happen in shitty experimental fields like biochemistry.

>>7752225
Biochemistry is more relevant than abstract maths

>>7752259
I agree. However, due to the lower standards in bio{} publishing 99% of the papers is worthless trash.

>>7752190
Well technically you can contribute to science or math even if you're not Tao. It's just that your contributions probably won't nearly be as significant.

People like Tao spend their time hammering away at the high risk high reward problems, as you would expect. They don't have time for the vast multitude of easy problems due to having a finite lifespan, or maybe just a lack of interest. Which is why in his blog, Tao pretty much calls for us inferior underlings to explore the vastness of the field and solve whatever it is that we can.

So yes, as a mediocre researcher, you pretty much exist to fill in the gaps that the greatest minds somehow neglect. Apparently, even for someone as prolific as Tao, math is a big field and covering all the bases is difficult.

And that is why most people of average ability just choose to head into industry rather than up the ivory tower where you have to compete with mental titans like Tao. In that sense, few people are really pretending they can actually make a contribution to science or math. The ones that pretend are in the minority and is the reason why there are people who swear that academia is hell and take 10 years to get a PhD if they don't give up first.

>>7752267
>Tao pretty much calls for us inferior underlings to explore the vastness of the field and solve whatever it is that we can.
Well that's one way to interpret "new mathematicians should try the easy problems first which is what I did as well", but ok.

>>7752190
Your a fucking retard there way more than just Tao thers Christopher Hirata and plenty of outher super genius childhood prodigies btw Christopher Hirata Is smarter and Sids was the smartest of all time. Tao is a fucking meme and his brain Is infearor to lots of super geniuses.

>>7752728
i can tell by the way you post you are also a super genius. what is that like?

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This is the point of view of an insecure freshman.

Science is huge and ever expanding, it doesnt matter how many super geniuses are in science, this won't change.

Yes terence tao is super good at math, and has extreme ingenuity for solving math problems, but maybe there is something you can contribute to the field that requires more than that.

Even 100 terence tao's all focused on one single field could not discover and solve everything in that field in a life time.

Why?

1. Field will constantly grow as more discoveries are made.

2. Many monumental discoveries happen by chance/luck/accident, which even to nobel laureate geniuses seem to have no relation to what they were first studying.

How do you define significant? I'd say the discovery of plastic or nylon could be considered just as significant (or more so) than anything terence has discovered, simply for how it has affected the world and the way we live.

So terence might have a higher potential and a higher output of publications and all that, but it doesnt mean there's no point in you even trying.

Look at john von neuman, he was essentially the terence tao of all math/scientific fields, a supreme polymath. Guy had an immeasurable IQ well over 200, invented game theory (now a nobel field), and its said his least significant contribution was the invention of the computer architecture that all computer devices in existence are based on today.

Yet people still made advances to everything he has worked on. Advances to game theory, to computer architecture, and to many of his countless groundbreaking discoveries in so many math fields.

Same with einstein. He _only_ had an IQ of 160 or so, yet he made his monumental discoveries in physics that have shaped everything after him.

So its silly to say that because there is someone who is extremely intelligent in some field of study, that its pointless to go into that field.

>>7752190
I got my Master's in physics and I had some direct experiences of this nature.

>In my first year, I took a graduate math class, Introduction to Differentiable Manifolds.
> I'm not that gifted and the class was hard as shit for me
> wound up dropping it before Thanksgiving as I had one of the lowest scores on the midterm.
> Now, I'm not a dumbass either, mind you.
> In any case, in the beginning of the class, I became friends with an undergraduate who happened to be taking it at same time, Larry
> we started working together on some of the assignments and I quickly realized Larry the junior (19 yo) was WAY fucking better than me
> I was 24, went to top 20 undergrad and grad school (public uni)
> Larry literally would have the answer right away while I was still trying to process the primitive definitions
> He would compute the answer in just a few seconds while I still couldn't process the question
> He went on to graduate after 3.5 years, then got his Ph.D. after only 2 years in grad school.

This, and other similar experiences showed me how stark the disparity is in mathematics. That being said, the difference isn't nearly as sharp in other fields. Most fields it's more a matter of hard work and creativity -- I'm convinced of that. The thing though about mathematics, is that math is really more like an athletic act than most other intellectual acts. That's because the sheer memory and logical processing facilities required to work efficiently are pretty massive, you need a special kind of brain. To some extent, you get around this in math and all other fields by specialization and hard work, but it's true there's only so much you can do.

tl;dr: OP is right about math. In other fields that are more data based, or even simply more based on words and communication, there is still a lot of potential to contribute. The differences aren't as pronounced.

>>7753010
I know you made this up because it's fundamental law that all people named Larry are either plumbers or construction workers and would thus not have the time to take graduated math classes.

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TENS OF TERENCE TAOS

>>7752197
This is me when I hear Donald Trump and Donald Trump followers desu.

>>7752190
Why do you even care to tell these imbeciles when Tao can teach them this lesson in less time than you spent wasting?

>>7752190
There is a lot of work out there. People got to crystallize these proteins.

>>7752190
The problem with scientists and mathematicians is that they seem to do things for validation. Mathematics is deeply rooted in that because before the world got technical and needed it it was merely a puzzle solving club with whoever could solve the puzzle first getting fame and glory. Therefore if you are doing science or maths for validation then yes you will be shat on by Terrence Tao because as this guy said >>7752267 all the high reward problems are firmly in the sights of the top minds in the world.

If you really want to make a difference do engineering. Loads of things are done a certain way simply because it's popular not because it's actually the best way, do things a different way you may increase efficiency which will make you a rockstar in the engineering world. Also you can suggest one dumb little idea that will lead to a huge increase in usefulness. For example with the hovercraft, all it took was one guy to suggest adding a skirt and overnight the hovercraft became useful. Failing all that go back and dig up some old failed ideas, they may not ahve actually been bad ideas but merely not feasible with the technology of the time. Multirotors are an example, they didn't work a hundred years ago because no good control system and heavy, now we have carbon fibre frames and microchips controlling brushless motors. One day all those multirotor flying car designs that got laughed at today will be revisited in 30 years when battery technology gets good.

>>7752190
>Smart people breeding with each other
Good joke. Smart people don't breed. The next generation will be significantly dumber than ours.

>>7753002
BTFO
T
F
O

>>7752190
It's kind of odd that you try bring him as an example, since he actually made a blogpost, where he encouraged people to actually pursue careers in research even though they are not extraordinarily gifted.

https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/does-one-have-to-be-a-genius-to-do-maths/

>>7752190
Why I switched from math to chemistry
Chemistry will get me a job, math just gives me a reason to draw shapes on a whiteboard in my living room

>>7752190
Some are extremes but that doesn't mean 1 man could do the computing job of 10000 math scientists.. you can join the army and as a peon on the chess board you might discovered the next big thing.

>>7752190
>Why bother pretending that you can contribute anything to science or mathematics when people exist
Because I don't actually care if I contribute anything to this sense of grand "progress" humanity has become so enamored with. The human race deserves less than nothing when it all nets out.

Neurologically I'm such a scrambled, disjointed, hacked together mess I can't really help but do relatively novel things. Unfortunately I find that everything I end up cooking up has already been done, or the general premise already has a name. Usually years down the line, strange how it works like that.

I'm working on a data compression "system". Otherwise I'll just live in mediocrity working minimum wage jobs, have some manic episode where it all clicks into place and achieve rapid progress, or develop video games. The latter is what I kind of want to do, but a lot of these projects can' be completed by one person, there is just too much. I'm focusing on the projects that can, or in one case, almost have to be. The idea kind of unnerves me on some level. To become that kind of creator. I'll get over it eventually.

Works by other people in the past gave me something to think about, another place to go to, and provided the means to string myself along through some of the darkest parts of my life. All I can do is try to provide the same potential value for someone else. It's not about being "great", and honestly, I'd get bored if I had a mindset to compete like that. Competition is not a sustainable or meaningful lifestyle, it's just a means to an end. Do your own thing, for you.

>>7753002
>game theory (now a nobel field)
da phuc

>>7753197
>implying Donald Trump will not make America great again

>>7753211
underrated post

>>7753434
Uninformed people that possess low self awareness and low general intelligence, should not be allowed to have a voice. Democracy is a broken system in progress.

>tfw the dream is to just prove one new theorem, no matter how insignificant

>>7753002

This.

Just because there may be someone out there smarter than you at the subject. It is not worth giving up on the subject. There are many problems that Tao has come across and given to others. Find a field that you like and work hard in it. You might not make a fuck ton of progress in the field but you are adding further progress to the field which is a wonderful thing in it self.

>>7752269
What else was he supposed to say? If he said anything different he would come off as a complete ass.

Obviously all new mathematicians start doing the easy problems, Tao included. But what he doesn't mention is that Tao started doing the easy problems when he was 15 or something and then moved on, whereas mediocre mathematicians will be stuck on them for the rest of their academic lives.

Tao is just inviting people to the shallow end of the pool with that statement, which is just about the best thing he could do or say for people who aren't olympic swimmers and the only place where said people can be useful. If he shoved them into the Mariana Trench, they'd just get eaten alive and quit.

ITT: angsty freshmen dealing with the fact that they're not really the special little geniuses they were in HS

>>7753514
ITT angsty people state the obvious.

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My plan is to focus on the not super important stuff. Stuff that an army of Terences wouldn't ever bother researching so that when the final days come I will have some personal notch in history.

Also, how many times have you had an awesome idea, or insight, only to find that someone 100 years ago already answered your question. But it was only 100 years ago, you could potentially have 100 years on some guy who's way smarter than you, but you'll have thought of it first!

>>7752190
Mathematics isn't a competition. It's teamwork. :^)

Engineer major here, I just want to be independent and support my computer hobbies.

>>7752190
Because if I never did anything because someone else does it better, I would never do anything. I wouldn't even kill myself because others have done that better too.

>why pretend that you can be anything in the face of some guy who does things much better blah blah blah

Anyone with an honest, earnest, and open heart has the potential to do great things.

Not everyone may be a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.

>inb4scienceisntart

>>7752196
I know this feel. I struggled to get a B- in calc 2

I think competition is alright. They are natural talented geniuses out there; being smart helps a lot but I'm average and achieve good marks just due to it being fun.

I'm to fond, deeply in love, intuned, and mesmerized by the beauty of mathematics. I feel like whenever I do a maths problem and get it right; i feel like I'm at much more peace with myself. I'm to loving to care less about competition, each time i get the question right, i have a little chuckle, and giggle to myself.

>>7755225
>
I'm to fond, deeply in love, intuned, and mesmerized by the beauty of mathematics. I feel like whenever I do a maths problem and get it right; i feel like I'm at much more peace with myself. I'm to loving to care less about competition, each time i get the question right, i have a little chuckle, and giggle to myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRsPheErBj8

>>7752190
>Smart people breed

kek. Retards outbreed smart people by a pretty wide margin my friend.

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>>7752190

>>7753450
Liberal spending is a prime example of this. Muh programs

>>7753002
>and its said his least significant contribution was the invention of the computer architecture that all computer devices in existence are based on today.
Actually, this is considered one of his most significant contributions and it wasn't even his own work.
> J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, who were developing the ENIAC at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote about the stored-program concept in December 1943.
>he wrote up a description titled First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC[1] based on the work of Eckert and Mauchly
> Herman Goldstine circulated it with only von Neumann's name on it, to the consternation of Eckert and Mauchly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_architecture#Development_of_the_stored-program_concept

>>7752190
He's smart but he cant solve everything.

We fill in the gaps if we can.

>>7753002
>only 160
>only

>>7755538

Some people allegedly have/had IQs of over 200 e.g. Marilyn vos Savant, Christopher Langan, William James Sidis

>>7755546
Jakob Bartlet

>>7752190
>hi my name is tao
>i spent my entire life proving eulers 1567th theorem:
>if you add two numbers together it is a number
>i have finally proved it at the age of 99
>i am very influential in math ;)
Tao pls go

>>7753509
>Tao is just inviting people to the shallow end of the pool with that statement, which is just about the best thing he could do or say for people who aren't olympic swimmers and the only place where said people can be useful. If he shoved them into the Mariana Trench, they'd just get eaten alive and quit.
That's kind of point. There's a shallow pond for plebs to spend their career in and that does contribute to the field overall.

>>7753002
>>7753002
A contribution is a contribution regardless of perceived significance. That contribution is unique to you. It doesnt matter if anyone else could do it because they didnt and you did.

>>7752190
> wants to contribute to math
> not wanting to enjoy learning math for the sake of it
> not wanting to enjoy the intuition making very small advancements in mathematics

Also Tao will die one day.

>>7752197
A vast majority thinks like that and in the end they never end up contributing with anything. Enjoy mediocrity.

People in the future will be more intelligent than Tao because of technological advances made by people less intelligent than Tao.
Having the smartest people work on pure mathematics is a form of premature optimization.

>>7752190
Even if one could never dream of reaching the general level of someone like Tao the reality of the nature of real advancements is that they exist on a case by case basis where asking the right questions at the right time (even by coincidence) can be huge and mean everything.
It's not a "fight" between people with set power levels, it's more like open exploration. You've been playing too much chess.

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>mfw Tao is a genius and hasn't contributed anything meaningful or useful

>>7757471
>not wanting to enjoy learning math for the sake of it
this is as stupid as studying philosophy for its practicality.

But Tao is on some meme prime numbers and arithmetic progression shit problems so far. What contribution in math do you talking about?

>>7753314
>The problem with scientists and mathematicians is that they seem to do things for validation.

nigga that's a solution, not a problem

>>7753002
einstein was great because he kept at the same problems for so long and didn't do much else