‘He was in mystic delirium’: was this hermit mathematician a forgotten genius whose ideas could transform AI – or a lonely madman?

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In isolation, Alexander Grothendieck seemed to have lost touch with reality, but some say his metaphysical theories could contain wondersOne day in September 2014, in a hamlet in the French Pyrenean foothills, Jean-Claude, a landscape gardener in his late 50s, was surprised to see his neighbour at the gate.

He hadn’t spoken to the 86-year-old in nearly 15 years after a dispute over a climbing rose that Jean-Claude had wanted to prune.

The old man lived in total seclusion, tending to his garden in the djellaba he always wore, writing by night, heeding no one.

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Article Details

Author / Journalist: Phil Hoad

Category: Artificial-intelligenceTechnology

Markets: United KingdomFranceGermanyMaliOman

Topics: Science Computing Philosophy Technology Business Technology sector Europe World news Artificial intelligence (AI) Mathematics Huawei Telecommunications industry

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Neutral

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2024-08-31 @ 10:00:32 (21 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT +8:00

News Source URL: theguardian.com

Language: English

Article Length: 4817 words

Reading Time: 27 minutes read

Sentences: 218 lines

Sentence Length: 23 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © The Guardian

News ID: 22313622

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