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A comment on “Math 2.0” will need to value mathematical progress more holistically. Parent comment

Re:“Math 2.0” will need to value mathematical progress more ... by nbaksalyar on Thursday October 08, 2026 @07:59AM (#50004785)
> often these techniques are invented first and the applications come later

There's a great paper from Abraham Flexner on this topic:

https://worrydream.com/refs/Flexner_1939_-_The_Usefulness_of...

It argues exactly that we should be allowed to pursue the seemingly "useless" knowledge.

Previously discussed on HN:

https://hn.algolia.com/?q=usefulness+of+useless+knowledge

[ Parent | on HN ]

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