Congratulations, Dr Maths
Matthew d'Ancona 11:13am
Sometimes Oxford, that much-maligned national institution, so often associated only with Brideshead and the Bullingdon, really gets it right. When I was a young Fellow at All Souls, there was one other member of college – not Isaiah Berlin - who liked the Happy Mondays and New Order, and his name was Marcus du Sautoy. I nicknamed him Dr Maths. He was a young mathematician whose references were almost too good to believe. He dressed like a student, had changeable hair colour, was a great cook, loved music and Arsenal, and spent his evening at theatre workshops. He was also, without a shadow of a doubt, the cleverest person I had ever met. But like all truly brilliant people, he wore his prodigious intellect lightly, almost as if it were separate to his personality. So it is excellent news that Oxford has today announced his appointment to the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science, in succession to Professor Richard Dawkins.
Those who understand mathematics say that towards the end of his undergraduate career and in the first phase of his doctoral research Marcus made a stunning leap from the merely brilliant to the world-class. Nobody pretends to comprehend why such things happen in the world of deep, almost metaphysical research: but they do. I remember staying at his family home in Henley years ago during the regatta and he suddenly went very quiet. When I asked him what was up he replied: “Oh. I just thought up something new about prime numbers.” As you do.
For some, this kind of gift is a burden but Marcus has made it his mission to go out and evangelise comprehensibly. He is currently presenting a series called The Story of Maths on BBC 4, and has published two acclaimed and accessible books, The Music of the Primes and Finding Moonshine, both of which make an adventure of the most complex mathematical principles. He is a very different act to Dawkins but he has the same capacity to stretch a hand out from the academic grove to the rest of us. A true humanist, in other words.
Already a Professor of Mathematics at the University, he now moves into an explicitly public role, and one which he was born to play. Trust me: you’ll be hearing a lot more from this remarkable scholar. Well done, Dr Maths, and well done Oxford.
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Tom
October 28th, 2008 11:31am Report this commentAn Arsenal fan you say... Pity, I had been enjoying The Story of Maths but I will have to stop watching it now.
Kevyn Bodman
October 28th, 2008 11:55am Report this comment'When I was a young Fellow at All Souls, there was one other member of college - not Isaiah Berlin - who liked the Happy Mondays and New Order...'
What's the betting that that sentence, or a parody of it, gets into Private Eye soon?
Apart from that, Marcus du Sautoy sounds like a man of real achievement, and I'll look for his book in the shops.
But that's in spite of, rather than because of, the writing in this piece.
Worried, Windsor
October 28th, 2008 12:23pm Report this commentWere this high-achieving wrangler (I use the term loosely) in government or the shadow cabinet I might be tempted to view your alma mater in a better light. But no, look what we got instead.
Kevyn Bodman
October 28th, 2008 12:30pm Report this commentArsenal: football for connoisseur.
biggestaspidistra
October 28th, 2008 1:37pm Report this commentIt is always gratifying to see Oxford and Cambridge graduates promoting their friends and colleagues through the national press and our cultural institutions. This is worthy of Alan Bennett (in fact, isn't it the headmaster's speech from History Boys?). In any event I applaud Mr. d'Ancona's earnest love of words.
scolari
October 28th, 2008 1:52pm Report this commentyou lost me at the Arsenal reference. still i suppose it could have been worse cambridge and Man Utd.
Forlornehope
October 28th, 2008 3:33pm Report this commentLoved the Music of the Primes. It is excellent to have someone in this position who is dealing with really fundamental ideas. One can only hope that he focuses on increasing public understanding of science and not on leading a personal crusade like his predecessor.
JR
October 28th, 2008 3:50pm Report this commentBloody 'elites'!
If only we lived in America we could vote for a good, decent politicans who abhors these types of people. It's all their fault - they're keeping us down, they're making TV programmes for the 'liberal elites' at the publically funded BBC. Blah, blah, blah.
What a nice post celebrating a man of stunning intelligence who is rather keen on spreading that knowledge to others and whom is supported in doing so by publically funded organisations. I think the contrast with the current USA election is apt - George Monbiot's column in the Guardian actually has something to say today (for once).
It's so depressing reading some of the comments here from people that think the whole intellectual/'liberal' world is out to get them, and therefore they (at least the ones that post on Melanie Phillips blog) are happy to buy into the view it would be nice to have Sarah Palin in the White House at any cost.
I'd love it if a politican for once said that learning is important for many things, including self improvement and the act of learning itself.
Simplicissimus
October 28th, 2008 4:10pm Report this commentSurely this is just D'Ancona rejoicing at the departure of a known atheist.
Roger Thornhill
October 29th, 2008 10:16am Report this commentI have been watching The Story of Maths and it is a very good programme. This is what the BBC is there to do. Russell Brand and Jonnerf'n can be left to E4 or ITV3.
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