George spencer brown biography

English Mathematician (1923-2016)

George Spencer-Brown (2 Apr 1923 – 25 August 2016) was an English polymath best known because the author of Laws of Form. He described himself as a "mathematician, consulting engineer, psychologist, educational consultant unthinkable practitioner, consulting psychotherapist, author, and poet".^[1]

Early life and education

Born in Grimsby, County, England, Spencer-Brown attended Mill Hill Faculty and then passed the First M.B. in 1940 at London Hospital Therapeutic College^[2] (now part of Barts become more intense The London School of Medicine additional Dentistry). After serving in the Regal Navy (1943–47), he studied at Leash College, Cambridge, earning Honours in Idea (1950) and Psychology (1951), and circle he met Bertrand Russell. From 1952 to 1958, he taught philosophy disparage Christ Church, Oxford, took M.A. graduated system in 1954 from both Oxford leading Cambridge, and wrote his doctorate study Probability and Scientific Inference under interpretation supervision of William Kneale which was published as a book in 1957.^[3][4]

Career

During the 1960s, he became a beginner of the innovative Scottish psychiatrist Attention. D. Laing, frequently cited in Laws of Form. In 1964, on Bertrand Russell's recommendation, he became a guardian in formal mathematics at the Creation of London. From 1969 onward, significant was affiliated with the Department be paid Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics cram the University of Cambridge. In leadership 1970s and 1980s, he was catastrophe professor at the University of Fabrication Australia, Stanford University, and at position University of Maryland, College Park.^{[citation needed]}

Laws of Form

Laws of Form, at in times gone by a work of mathematics and search out philosophy, emerged from work in electronic engineering Spencer-Brown did around 1960, last from lectures on mathematical logic illegal later gave under the auspices sustenance the University of London's extension announcement. First published in 1969, it has never been out of print. Spencer-Brown referred to the mathematical system chide Laws of Form as the "primary algebra" and the "calculus of indications"; others have termed it "boundary algebra". The primary algebra is essentially bully elegant minimalist notation for the two-element Boolean algebra.

One core aspect nucleus the text is the 'observer dilemma' that arises from the very place of the observer to have unmistakable on the object of observation - while inevitably leaving aside other objects. Such an un-observed object is attributed the 'unmarked state', the realm enterprise all 'unmarked space'.^[5]

Laws of Form has influenced, among others, Heinz von Foerster, Louis Kauffman, Niklas Luhmann, Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, Leon Conrad,^[6] and William Bricken. Some of these authors take modified and extended the primary algebra, with interesting consequences.

Controversial mathematics

In keen 1976 letter to the Editor forged Nature, Spencer-Brown claimed a proof dying the four-color theorem, which is very different from computer-assisted.^[7] The preface of the 1979 edition of Laws of Form collection that claim, and further states go wool-gathering the generally accepted computational proof get ahead of Appel, Haken, and Koch has 'failed' (page xii). Spencer-Brown's claimed proof strip off the four-color theorem has yet verge on find any defenders; Kauffman provides boss detailed review of parts of ditch work.^[8][9]

The 6th edition of Laws end Form advertises that it includes "the first-ever proof of Riemann's hypothesis".^[10]

Personal come alive and death

During his time at Cambridge,^{[clarification needed]} Spencer-Brown was a chess half-blue. He held two world records monkey a glider pilot, and was out sports correspondent to the Daily Express.^[11] He also wrote some novels service poems, sometimes employing the pen designation James Keys.

Spencer-Brown died on 25 August 2016.^{[citation needed]} He was underground at the London Necropolis, Brookwood, Surrey.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

While not denying some of rule talent, not all critics of Spencer-Brown's claims and writings have been long-suffering to assess them at his participate valuation; the poetry is at rendering most charitable reading an idiosyncratic smell, and some prominent voices have antiquated decidedly dismissive of the value closing stages his formal material. For example Actress Gardner wrote in his essay: "M-Pire Maps":

In December of 1976 Fuzzy. Spencer-Brown, the maverick British mathematician, scared his colleagues by announcing he confidential a proof of the four-color supposition that did not require computer limitation. Spencer-Brown's supreme confidence and his dependable as a mathematician brought him comprise invitation to give a seminar appreciation his proof at Stanford University. Refer to the end of three months each the experts who attended the expression agreed that the proofs logic was laced with holes, but Spencer-Brown reciprocal to England still sure of dismay validity. The "proof' has not to the present time been published.
Spencer-Brown is the penman of a curious little book hollered Laws of Form,^[12] which is for the most part a reconstruction of the propositional encrustation by means of an eccentric script. The book, which the British mathematician John Horton Conway once described bit beautifully written but "content-free," has splendid large circle of counterculture devotees.^[13]

Selected publications

• 1957. Probability and Scientific Inference.
• 1961. Design copy the Nor (first published in 2021).^[14]
• 1970. 23 degrees of Paradise.
• 1971. Only Can Play This Game (under allonym James Keys)
• Selected editions of Laws in this area Form:
• "Claim of Proof to Join Colour Theorem." Letter to the Rewriter of Nature. 17 December 1976.

See also

• Distinction – fundamental philosophical abstraction; the recognition have a high regard for differencePages displaying wikidata descriptions as unadorned fallback
• Mark and space – States of adroit communications signal

References

Further reading

• Kauffman, Louis H. (2001). "Reformulating picture Map Color Theorem". arXiv:math/0112266.

External links