I Know That I Know Nothing

Source: Mac Tutor

It is astonishing that it takes sixteen mathematicians, four historians, two literary scholars, a philosopher, and one astronomer to assemble and organise the work of one man’s life. The multifaceted talents of Felix Hausdorff are fascinating and remarkable. Yet, given his deep interests in music, I find myself wondering: why were no musicians or composers involved in that process? Might they have found some unusual or distinct way to unravel Hausdorff’s life?

Music and mathematics can be strikingly similar — from my admittedly shallow understanding — in that both attempt to observe and abstract patterns, develop variations, and build structure in the service of creating something larger: a kind of fantasy, or harmony. If mathematicians hear theorems as architecture, perhaps musicians would have heard Hausdorff’s life as a composition — one with recurring motifs, modulations, and a final, unresolved chord.

One man can be so powerless against the tides of time, even someone as great as Felix Hausdorff. It was a tragedy that he never managed to reach safety and continue his research. And yet, he died without suffering too much — a sad but peaceful ending, if such a thing can exist. Sometimes history grants even its cruellest stories a measure of quiet grace.

Xinyue Cai

2022

Houston

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• Lives of Mathematicians (5)
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