Portside

All right. Most Portside readers are not into pure mathematics . . . it's too hard, too boring, not relevant to real life, whatever. We hope you'll give this article a chance, even if you don't "get" every detail. It's still a very cool and very rewarding read. And it gives just a taste of what it feels like when a mathematician (or scientist) scores a break though . . . and opens up a whole new, previously unimagined, world. -- Moderator

I certainly agree that theoreticians often find it hard to find empiricists who will make use of their equations. But whose fault is that? Seems to me that the fault often lies with empiricists who stick with their intuitions come hell or high water, and who actively resist the discipline that mathematics imposes on their groundless daydreaming. Intuition is great–as long as it’s only a starting point, and as long as you’re prepared to give it up when it’s proven wrong,