Newsgroups: sci.skeptic,sci.psychology,sci.physics,sci.philosophy.meta,sci.bio,rec.arts.books,comp.ai.philosophy,alt.consciousness
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!uhog.mit.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!vanjac
From: vanjac@netcom.com (Sylvan Jacques)
Subject: Re: Why scientists popularize premature speculations?
Message-ID: <vanjacD06z1v.96F@netcom.com>
Sender: vanjac@netcom.com
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <3bd8s0$1q2@pobox.csc.fi> <28NOV199420434185@pavo.concordia.ca> <JMC.94Nov30170339@white.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il>
Distribution: inet
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 1994 16:27:31 GMT
Lines: 16
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu sci.skeptic:96918 sci.psychology:30824 sci.physics:102146 sci.philosophy.meta:15242 sci.bio:23631 comp.ai.philosophy:23038

Another premature announcement that comes to mind is Wiles
and Fermat's Last Theorem (FLT).
I haven't been following this, but the last I knew there were
problems with the proof, which Wiles thought could be fixed.
I then saw (but didn't read) a subject titled
"Unethical publishing of a Wiles article in a local journal".

I guess I will look in sci.math to see what they have on the
status of his proof. I imagine things are not yet settled.

I wonder if the public (the small part who care) believes
that FLT has been proved by Wiles, as a result of the initial
press releases.
-- 

Van  (Sylvan Jacques)        vanjac@netcom.com
