Subject: Re: LISP - 2 exponent 0 = 1
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no>
Date: 18 Sep 2002 17:49:42 +0000
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <3241360182883497@naggum.no>

* none@vanderbilt.edu (sv0f)
| I recall reading an interview in "More Mathematical People" with Herbert
| Robbins, co-author of "What is Mathematics?".  In it, he claims that he wrot
| the book and Courant, his superior, merely stuck his name on it at the end.
| The book is at home; I will try to look up the specifics of his allegation and
| post them here.  (A quick Google search turned up nothing relevant.)

  Several people have made similar claims and try to discredit their teachers,
  under whose wings they have been allowed to grow, when they think they have
  outgrown their teacher.  I have seen many good students grow bitter about
  this when they felt they were somehow hampered in their growth but I would
  sooner discredit one who tries to discredit his "superior" than a teacher who
  slaps his name on a student's work.

  BTW, Ian Stewart, responsible for the revised edition, does not give much
  reason to believe your story from his foreword.  Of course, it could all be
  a great conspiracy.

-- 
Erik Naggum, Oslo, Norway

Act from reason, and failure makes you rethink and study harder.
Act from faith, and failure makes you blame someone and push harder.