A Beautiful Mind
A Film of Human Tragedy
Have you seen the movie A Beautiful Mind? It's about John Forbes Nash, Jr., a mathematical genius, who is diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic and spends about 30 years fighting it (it virtually destroys his math career). He finally overcomes the disease. Eventually, he received the Nobel Prize in Economics for work he had done as a young mathematician that affected research in many disciplines through the decades. His wife, who stood by his side throughout his ordeal, is credited with saving him. Russell Crowe plays the tragic Priceton PhD and MIT instructor.
Based on the Book
I'm reading the book now, by Sylvia Nasar, and it's amazing. Nasar evidently interviewed tirelessly in researching the book—you hear from most anyone who had anything to do with Nash throughout his tragic life. The movie, however, while a very good story (it's interesting to see how they portrayed Nash's hallucinations), took many liberties with the truth, I'm finding out. Both book and movie were excellent in their own right, though.
What Struck Me
The book does a good job of explaining Nash's research in a way that nonmathematicians can grasp and appreciate. It also reads like fiction—it's a real page-turner. What really struck me, though, is Nash's dogged perseverance in dealing with the loneliness and stigma that comes with mental illness. He roamed the halls and library of Princeton for many years during his illness, and most people avoided him. Some staff, faculty, and students took a chance on him, though, talking to him and helping him. He seemed to benefit a great deal from this kind human contact. Also, it seems that the international mathematics community did everything in its power to help Nash: They gave him research and positions for a good deal of the time during his illness, and finally they came together to ensure despite all odds that this all-but-forgotten genius was given an honor that he so rightly deserved. It was a triumph of people coming together to help others at the highest levels of the intellectual world.
Have you seen the movie A Beautiful Mind? It's about John Forbes Nash, Jr., a mathematical genius, who is diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic and spends about 30 years fighting it (it virtually destroys his math career). He finally overcomes the disease. Eventually, he received the Nobel Prize in Economics for work he had done as a young mathematician that affected research in many disciplines through the decades. His wife, who stood by his side throughout his ordeal, is credited with saving him. Russell Crowe plays the tragic Priceton PhD and MIT instructor.
Based on the Book
I'm reading the book now, by Sylvia Nasar, and it's amazing. Nasar evidently interviewed tirelessly in researching the book—you hear from most anyone who had anything to do with Nash throughout his tragic life. The movie, however, while a very good story (it's interesting to see how they portrayed Nash's hallucinations), took many liberties with the truth, I'm finding out. Both book and movie were excellent in their own right, though.
What Struck Me
The book does a good job of explaining Nash's research in a way that nonmathematicians can grasp and appreciate. It also reads like fiction—it's a real page-turner. What really struck me, though, is Nash's dogged perseverance in dealing with the loneliness and stigma that comes with mental illness. He roamed the halls and library of Princeton for many years during his illness, and most people avoided him. Some staff, faculty, and students took a chance on him, though, talking to him and helping him. He seemed to benefit a great deal from this kind human contact. Also, it seems that the international mathematics community did everything in its power to help Nash: They gave him research and positions for a good deal of the time during his illness, and finally they came together to ensure despite all odds that this all-but-forgotten genius was given an honor that he so rightly deserved. It was a triumph of people coming together to help others at the highest levels of the intellectual world.
posted by Carpe Diem at 2:24 PM
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