looking more into Fermat’s Last Theorem and it’s kinda bullshit that Wiles “solved it”.
Frey and Ribet did the part that is actually relevant to the classic Fermat formulation. Wiles gave a partial solution to a different problem after they proved what such a solution would imply.
so I guess I’m just grumpy about that now. thoughts welcome.
No one person ever is the inventor or the solver, just happened to be the one to finally put the last few pieces together. Just like Satoshi.
I’m not claiming he got credit others deserved because lots of people chipped in. I’m claiming the framing of “he solved X problem” is extremely misleading because he actually solved a completely different problem.
I think Fermat had a simple solution and burned the keys. The solution seems so convoluted, unsatisfying.
It took the guy 7years to prove it, after centuries of people trying, he’s got to get some credit.
he proved a reduced version of the taniyama-shimura conjecture after others had proven that *proving this* would imply fermat’s last theorem.
saying he “proved fermat’s last theorem” is precisely what I’m claiming is kinda bullshit.
so in other words he should get all the credit in the world … for proving a reduced version of a separate conjecture.
I heard Wiles was a bit of a glory seeking jerk who hid out a bit during his last steps as he felt he was getting close (from a math prof who made an unexpected aside when asked about the theorem)
