Comments on: The Times finally notes the passing of Lang, the greatest gadfly http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/the-times-finally-notes-the-passing-of-lang-the-greatest-gadfly.htm Reviewing scientific paradigms and other general beliefs in the light of the scientific and professional literature Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:57:56 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Truthseeker http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/the-times-finally-notes-the-passing-of-lang-the-greatest-gadfly.htm/comment-page-1#comment-8462 Truthseeker Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:03:45 +0000 http://paradigmoverthrow.com/blog/?p=94#comment-8462 The facts of Lang's death are well concealed from public discussion, and there is indeed a rumor that he committed suicide, for which there are of course any number of possible motivations in every case, and in this case, many too, unless and until one has better information than we have on Lang. The rumor is connected with a report we have never confirmed that he left a note for his sister. From our own experience we would never have supposed such a thing, because the Lang we knew was ebulliently cheerful whenever he called, and full of humor and energy as he detailed the various intellectual crimes and misdemeanors he had detected or suffered in accumulating his Files and in getting the corrections he demanded, or trying to bring to the attention of the public through his mailing list to people who might write about the issues or directly, as in even being prepared to wait outside a lecture hall to distribute literature to provide perspective to Yale students in the audience. But nothing in what he said to us ever betrayed any depression at his difficulties in getting people to listen, and he was quite frank about people labeling him a pest even when they acknowledged he was right. All we can surmise is that suicide might in the end be the act of a mathematician whose always valued his professional work most highly and felt he could no longer contribute in that realm, which is one story we heard, which seems conceivable, since his standards for others and for himself were so high. So we believe that Lang simply died unexpectedly of natural causes, until we are given better reason to think otherwise. But people who might know better are not talking, if there is any such reason. NB: This post has suffered from software updates so we have gone over it and corrected it and added subheads and a few words here and there, since Lang deserves no less, as a great man who compiled one of the most important books, "Challenges", ever published on the nature of modern society. We'll also add some of our own pics of Lang when they turn up, showing among other things his remarkable nose! The facts of Lang’s death are well concealed from public discussion, and there is indeed a rumor that he committed suicide, for which there are of course any number of possible motivations in every case, and in this case, many too, unless and until one has better information than we have on Lang. The rumor is connected with a report we have never confirmed that he left a note for his sister. From our own experience we would never have supposed such a thing, because the Lang we knew was ebulliently cheerful whenever he called, and full of humor and energy as he detailed the various intellectual crimes and misdemeanors he had detected or suffered in accumulating his Files and in getting the corrections he demanded, or trying to bring to the attention of the public through his mailing list to people who might write about the issues or directly, as in even being prepared to wait outside a lecture hall to distribute literature to provide perspective to Yale students in the audience.

But nothing in what he said to us ever betrayed any depression at his difficulties in getting people to listen, and he was quite frank about people labeling him a pest even when they acknowledged he was right. All we can surmise is that suicide might in the end be the act of a mathematician whose always valued his professional work most highly and felt he could no longer contribute in that realm, which is one story we heard, which seems conceivable, since his standards for others and for himself were so high.

So we believe that Lang simply died unexpectedly of natural causes, until we are given better reason to think otherwise. But people who might know better are not talking, if there is any such reason.

NB: This post has suffered from software updates so we have gone over it and corrected it and added subheads and a few words here and there, since Lang deserves no less, as a great man who compiled one of the most important books, “Challenges”, ever published on the nature of modern society. We’ll also add some of our own pics of Lang when they turn up, showing among other things his remarkable nose!

]]> By: Zassenhaus http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/the-times-finally-notes-the-passing-of-lang-the-greatest-gadfly.htm/comment-page-1#comment-8461 Zassenhaus Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:07:23 +0000 http://paradigmoverthrow.com/blog/?p=94#comment-8461 I live in Paris and personally know some of the last members of the second circle of Bourbaki Mathematicians, but only recently did I became aware of the astonishing pre-wikileaks like battles mounted by Serge Lang through his file gathering of primary evidence which exposed the scientific incorrectness of statements and affirmations found in the articles and books produced by some well known and "stellar" academics largely outside the field of mathematics ( indeed it is almost impossible for mathematical charlatans to thrive amongst their peers ). After many, many hours of scouring Google articles to find the cause of Serge Lang's death, I have come up with none excepting a denial of one possible cause and an explanation from Stephen Smale that the internet is no place to discuss the cause of Serge Lang's death. There must be some reason for the blackout and even avoidance of such bland explanations like the usual "passed away" etc. Some people within the math community here in Paris claim he committed suicide. Don't you think it might be useful to put an end to speculations? Lang himself would have hated all the "corn-pone" around the circumstances of his "passing away". His thinking and his writing were and are so acutely enlightening, they don't need to be bolstered or preserved by well intentioned "discretion". Stefen Zweig remains one of the 2oth century's most brilliant chronicler of human stupidity and European barbarism in particular despite ending his own and his companion's life! I live in Paris and personally know some of the last members of the second circle of Bourbaki Mathematicians, but only recently did I became aware of the astonishing pre-wikileaks like battles mounted by Serge Lang through his file gathering of primary evidence which exposed the scientific incorrectness of statements and affirmations found in the articles and books produced by some well known and “stellar” academics largely outside the field of mathematics ( indeed it is almost impossible for mathematical charlatans to thrive amongst their peers ). After many, many hours of scouring Google articles to find the cause of Serge Lang’s death, I have come up with none excepting a denial of one possible cause and an explanation from Stephen Smale that the internet is no place to discuss the cause of Serge Lang’s death. There must be some reason for the blackout and even avoidance of such bland explanations like the usual “passed away” etc. Some people within the math community here in Paris claim he committed suicide. Don’t you think it might be useful to put an end to speculations? Lang himself would have hated all the “corn-pone” around the circumstances of his “passing away”. His thinking and his writing were and are so acutely enlightening, they don’t need to be bolstered or preserved by well intentioned “discretion”. Stefen Zweig remains one of the 2oth century’s most brilliant chronicler of human stupidity and European barbarism in particular despite ending his own and his companion’s life!

]]> By: Marcel http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/the-times-finally-notes-the-passing-of-lang-the-greatest-gadfly.htm/comment-page-1#comment-53 Marcel Sat, 01 Oct 2005 20:42:31 +0000 http://paradigmoverthrow.com/blog/?p=94#comment-53 Thanks for this fine analysis of the Times' 13-day delay on even acknowledging Lang's death, and then the subtle way they tried to diminish him. Truthseeker, do I know you? I noticed a lot of the articles on this site are by you. Thanks for this fine analysis of the Times’ 13-day delay on even acknowledging Lang’s death, and then the subtle way they tried to diminish him. Truthseeker, do I know you? I noticed a lot of the articles on this site are by you.

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