The mechanization of mathematics mirrors the evolution of the textile trade, where innovations like the Jacquard loom eliminated traditional weaving jobs but made fabric cheap and accessible. Over centuries, computational labor transitioned from aristocratic thinkers to human computers and scribes before pioneers like Charles Babbage explicitly compared numerical operations to cotton mills. Today, technological systems allow individuals to accomplish far more by producing proofs at scale, even though modern tools still lack general intelligence. Consequently, researchers face a changing professional landscape where artificial intelligence excels at virtual tasks and reshapes their core outp…
Key points
Technological automation historically collapsed the labor required for physical crafts wh…: Technological automation historically collapsed the labor required for physical crafts while concentrating high-status design work among a small elite.
Mathematical research gradually detached itself from ordinary calculation and other scien…: Mathematical research gradually detached itself from ordinary calculation and other sciences to prioritize more abstract conceptual pursuits.
Modern artificial intelligence systems lack general intelligence but excel at virtual tas…: Modern artificial intelligence systems lack general intelligence but excel at virtual tasks, enabling individuals to generate complex proofs with unprecedented efficiency.
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Stretching an analogy real far
Mathematicians are like Luddites. Yes, the actual weavers, not just the slur against people who are against technology. They were weavers in general: weavers, knitters, and cloth finishers defending the value of their skill and lifestyle.
Etymology
Maybe astrology for men, but just as fun.
The Proto-Indo European root tek-/tekō/*tek/: to plait/to weave.
Text: words and letters woven together.
Context: that which is woven together (con-*).
Textile. Subtle: the underlying (sub) thread.
Subtext. not etymologically a duplicate of “subtle” but sure feels like one.
Technology: from the word tekne, which means “craft”. Weaving is an old craft, about 20,000 years old. Flint knapping and fire making are older, and damned hard, but weaving has a combination of freedom and skill.
We talk about ideas as though we were handling fabric because, for a very long time, making fabric was one of our most sophisticated skills .
History of Weavers
Master weavers in the Tudor era had to work crazy fast. I don’t recall the exact number, but it’s a combination of speed and skill that…
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