Writing for the New York Times, Michael J. Barany debunks an apocryphal tale of the Fields Medal's origins and explains how the prize attained its Nobel-level status.
The latter part of Barany's account, which involves Stephen Smale and the House Un-American Activities Committee, sits at the intersection of math and politics.
"Mr. Smale is not a mathematician who merely happened to oppose the Vietnam War, just as others are not mathematicians who merely happen to work for (or oppose) the N.S.A.," writes Barany. "Mathematics is a critical part of who they are and what they do, for better and sometimes for worse."
He concludes: "To say mathematics is political is not to diminish it, but rather to recognize its greater meaning, promise and responsibilities."
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