tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post3639700252314279127..comments2024-03-28T13:40:26.497+00:00Comments on M-Phi: ApologiesJeffrey Ketlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01753975411670884721noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post-41436789528933056592014-09-11T00:02:05.506+01:002014-09-11T00:02:05.506+01:00This post reminds me of the calls to remove Jews f...This post reminds me of the calls to remove Jews from math departments in Germany back in the 1930's. "We don't want their Jewish mathematics!" they said.<br /><br />Shame. And it's a shame that a blog like this bows to silly public pressure like this. Good mathematics is good. Period. If someone can't separate mathematical contributions from personal quirks, then they should probably stay away from mathematicians and philosophers anyway, and have little to do in a place like this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post-26103240825033182582014-09-10T23:04:26.232+01:002014-09-10T23:04:26.232+01:00Frege was a vile antisemitic, and supported the Na...Frege was a vile antisemitic, and supported the Nazis. Do you intend to stop referring people to Frege's work? <br /><br />Teichmuller joined the Wermacht and died in the eastern front, are we going to stop referring to his work? <br /><br />Von Neumann was pro-nuclear strikes, pre-emptive strikes. Wipe out the Ruskies before they wipe us! Will you stop using computers now, or doing anything really, because he had so much impact on modern science and modern technology.<br /><br />Heimlich killed innocent people, trying to figure out that famous maneuver. That thing which saved so many people. Yeah, now we should all stop doing that, and let people choke on food.<br /><br />So many people are so crazy out there, sometimes outright batcrap madness in the name of science. But they contributed a lot to science, to mathematics, and to our lives. I don't see why we need to carry that personal baggage for them. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post-14223345085725295142014-09-10T21:38:34.635+01:002014-09-10T21:38:34.635+01:00Thanks for the input. I actually think one can sep...Thanks for the input. I actually think one can separate a person's intellectual achievements from their missteps in other spheres. In fact, I continue to cite Smith's work in my work, as I think his work on (philosophy of) logic is often very good. But given the situation, I think it might be better to take that post down too.Catarinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03277956118114314573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post-34496626557764611422014-09-10T20:43:15.940+01:002014-09-10T20:43:15.940+01:00As a regular contributor to this blog, I would als...As a regular contributor to this blog, I would also like to echo and endorse Catarina's post. We will be considering over the coming weeks what went wrong here, how we might make amends, and how we can prevent anything like this happening in the future. In the meantime, I would like to offer my deepest apologies to everyone who was affected by this.Richard Pettigrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post-72839984700276351172014-09-10T20:06:22.535+01:002014-09-10T20:06:22.535+01:00As a member of the blog (until yesterday) I wanted...As a member of the blog (until yesterday) I wanted to echo the sentiments of the post, and in addition offer my personal apologies for failing to keep track of what was being posted in a group I was a member of. <br /><br />I'd also like to thank Catarina for stepping into the breach to coordinate the response to this once she became aware of the post. Robbie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081389310232077607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post-63271392180165145912014-09-10T18:10:01.697+01:002014-09-10T18:10:01.697+01:00Do none of you consider that as well as that incre...Do none of you consider that as well as that incredible post re the 'Oxford lynch mob' that Ketland posted, his previous post - still present - is recommending the work of Peter Smith - the sex offender and convicted paedophile. I mean - REALLY? What the hell is going on here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987609114415205593.post-35411422640312003222014-09-10T18:01:44.704+01:002014-09-10T18:01:44.704+01:00It worries me that you (plural) are able to still ...It worries me that you (plural) are able to still say 'And thank you Jeff, for all your otherwise very good work here at M-Phi over the years.' As if this is somehow separable from that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com