本文是我在万维读者论坛教育与学术专栏里写的第一篇文章, 也是我用\"Editor\"这个笔名写的第一篇文章. 写这个贴子的起因是2006年8月下旬, ICM 2006大会和New Yorker 杂志发表有关俄国数学家Perelman, Poncare Conjecture和丘成桐先生的\"Manifold Destiny - A legendary problem and the battle over who solved it\"一文前后相连, 在国际国内平面和电子媒体引起一场风波. 在国际国内数学届引发一场争议.

本文是对Perelman这种\"雨中人\"类型的数学家有感而发写成的. 这类数学家, 与Stephen Hawking形成鲜明对比. 本文的意思是想说, Communication and inter-personal skills 是极为重要的东西, 重要到无法过分描述它们的重要性. 人越往上走, 这两样东西就越重要. 没有这两样东西的人, 成不了大器. 贴在这里与大家分享, 希望读者能有所收获.

原文是用英文写的. 英文是我主要工作语言, 中文只是做中国项目时的工作语言. 写这个题目, 用英文要自然一些. 到这来的朋友读英文应无问题. 但如果哪位朋友认为有必要贴一个中文版, 请留言. 我抽空写一个中文版.

原文出处: http://www1.bbsland.com/education/messages/306366.html

发表日期: 2006年9月18日

Why Perelman should learn from Stephen Hawking

作者: Editor

This year, Stephen Hawking visited Hong Kong and Beijing on his way to the Beijing Conference on the Super String theory orginised by S T Yau. He gave a few lectures to the general public, and has greatly inspired the younsters\' interests in science.

Remember, Stephen Hawking is disabled. He cannot speak. He cannot write. He can only communicate to the outside world by two fingers only thougth a computer which simulates a human voice. He went a long way to explain his research work to the younsters using terms meaningful to the lay public.

Many of us have read his famour book \"A Brief History of Time\" and his recent book \"The Universe in a Nutshell\". Remember, these two book are best sellers all over the world and published in many languages.

Why Stephen Hawking bothered to do these things ? Not only Stephen Hawking, Steven Weinberg, a winner of the Noble prize in Physics, also wrote a famous book \"The First Three Munites\". There are many other examples as well.

Profoundly, many top scientists feel deeply indebted to the public at large. They feel the duty to give back to the society, to inspire the public\'s interests to the work they do. In doing so, they became great communicators, although Stephen Hawking cannot even speak or write by himself.

Stephen Hawking\'s research work on black holes and super string can only be understood by a handful of top scientists in the world. He has the ability to write research paper advanced enough for only a handful top scientists to understand and at the same time, he can also write books simple enough for the millions to understand and to enjoy.

Everybody would agree with me to say \"What a great personality Stephen Hawking is !\"

Now, let us focus on Perelman. He is a first class mathematician. No question about this. However, apart from me, does anybody else feel that Perelman is short of something critical ? Something that distinguishes a great mathematical master, like Chern and Yau, from a mere first class mathematician, a first class problem solver ? That something is exactly what Stephen Hawking has demonstrated - a great scientist must be a great communicator as well ! You only need to read one of the earlier posts in this forum \"作为艺术的数学\" (http://www1.bbsland.com/education/messages/306306.html) to find out that many great mathematicians are also greater communicators, poets, and artists.

Now, let us see what kind of a mathematician Perelman is. In my opinion, \"Rain Man\" type. Perelman has no ability to communicate, not even to his fellow top mathematicians, Hamilton and Yau. What kind of \"proof\" he has come up with ? Do you call that stuff a mathematical proof ? Come on ! Look at what Atiyah said:

(3) The IMU compromised the high standard of the Fields Medals.

(4) The mathematics community now is ready to accept ``sketches\'\'
for ``proofs\'\'. Whereas before the ICM, not a single important
mathematician, apart from Yau, confirmed that the conjecture had
been settled. By now, after the ICM, ``everyone\'\' agrees (or has to
agree). What a big fall!

Perelman has written some staff which not a single mathematician in the whole world, including Hamilton and Yau, could understand. It took the mathematics communicty 4 years to figure it out collectively.

Do you call Perelman\'s stuff mathematical proof ? Come on. It should have been called \"The Perelman Conjecture\" instead at the best. It is C-Z, K-L and M-T who have given the independent proofs.

The IMU, by giving Perelman a Fields prize, has lowered the standards of a mathematics proof and has also set a very bad example.

Furthermore, Tian Gang invited Perelman to give a series of lectures in the US to explain his \"proof\". What happened ? Still no body understood his \"proof\". When top mathematicians asked him questions, he just said these were details or these were obvious.

He even do not have the ability to explain his ideas to top mathematician in his research field ! He has ample time to do it and he is not like Stephen Hawking who is not able to speak.

It can only be explained by two possibilities:

1. He does not have the necessary communication skills
2. He does not have a clue himself

I think both are true.

Perelman cannot even communicate to his fellow researchers at his xxxxal research institute. He has left his job there. Is it a loss to the mathematics community ? My answer is Yes and NO. I say Yes, because I believe he still has something to contribute to math. I say No, because by leaving his job and resigning from the math community, he has shown that he is not committed to mathematics and mathematics is not something he thinks he must be doing. A mathematician who cannot communicate ? The fewer the better, I am afraid.

That brings us back to the subject - commuication and presentation. I would like to conclude by saying the following:\"Communication and presentation are everything, many times even more important than substance\".

Do not believe me or do not agree with me ? Try a few of the following things your self:

1. Go shopping
2. Find yourself a job
3. Publish a research paper in one of the top international journals of your research field
4. Defend your research thesis in front of a panel of examiners
5. Sell a product
6. Win a project or a new client for yourself or your organisation
7. Deal with your existing client and get another project from him
8. Try to build a boy-friend or girl-friend relationship or a marriage with some one you admire and love
9. Try to build a loving relationship with your children.
10. climb up the corporate ladder
the list goes on and on.

Perelman cannot do any of the above, not even having a girl-friend at the age of 40 ! What a pitty ! The above are things people live in the real world are doing day-in-and-day-out.Perelman cannot do any of these because he does not live in the real world, he live in his own world ! Like Rain Man.

Remember, get rid of the self-centred way of thinking. You are what others think what you are ! Think outwardly. When you have that idea, the next thing to do is obvious - communicate and present.