Serge Lang Quotes

Mathematician

Serge Lang was one of the most outstanding mathematicians of the 20th century. Born in May 1927 and died on September 12, 2005, Lang made significant contributions to algebraic geometry, number theory, and mathematical logic.

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All Hiv Aids Community Disease Doe Hypothesis Standards Behavior Courses Drug

Famous Serge Lang Quotes

“I am not here concerned with intent, but with scientific standards, especially the ability to tell the difference between a fact, an opinion, a hypothesis, and a hole in the ground.”

Facts Differences Ability Opinion Standards Concerned Holes Hypothesis

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“I object to a legal approach when settling questions of science or scientific behavior.”

Objects Behavior Approach Settling

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“If Baltimore's view, that scientists who do not take the words of authorities are far removed from the ordinary behavior of scientists, prevails in the scientific community, then something fundamental, very serious, and very disturbing is happening to the scientific community.”

Ifs Community Views Serious Authority Behavior Happenings Ordinary Scientist Fundamentals Disturbing Baltimore

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“Of course, screening for HIV did essentially eliminate the transmission of this virus by transfusions.”

Courses Viruses Hiv Screening Transmission

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“Of course, there are diseases of which people die.”

People Dies Courses Disease

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“Originally, in the early eighties, the drug hypothesis was among the first which occurred to scientists.”

Firsts Drug Scientist Hypothesis Eighty

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“Questions have arisen about the policing of science. Who is responsible for the policing? My answer is: all of us.”

Answers Responsible

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“There exist thousands of Americans who have AIDS-defining diseases but are HIV negative.”

Disease Negative Aids Defining Hiv

Author:Serge Lang

“They cannot count on the press and they cannot count on Congressional committees to bring the problems of the scientific community to their own attention, or to police the scientific community.”

Problem Community Attention Police Presses Committees Congressional Committees

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“To address questions of scientific responsibility does not necessarily imply that one needs technical competence in a particular field (e.g. biology) to evaluate certain technical matters.”

Needs Doe Matter Certain Responsibility Fields Particular Addresses Biology Competence Evaluate

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“What standards are upheld by the scientific community affect the community internally, and also affect its relations with society at large, including Congress.”

Community Standards Relation Including Congress

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“To an extent that undermines classical standards of science, some purported scientific results concerning 'HIV' and 'AIDS' have been handled by press releases, by disinformation, by low-quality studies, and by some suppression of information, manipulating the media and people at large. When the official scientific press does not report correctly, or obstructs views dissenting from those of the scientific establishment, it loses credibility and leaves no alternative but to find information elsewhere.”

“The problems of financing the universities and their intellectual freedom, threatened by political and bureaucratic interference, are problems which are invariant under the ism transformations: socialism, communism, capitalism, or any other ism or ology.”

Problem Political Intellectual Capitalism Transformation University Socialism Communism Threatened Interference Financing Isms Intellectual Freedom

Author:Serge Lang

“The only goal of science is the honour of the human spirit, and a question in number theory is worth a question concerning the system of the world.”

World Humans Spirit Goal Numbers Theory Honour Human Spirit

Author:Serge Lang

“Axiomatization is what one does last, it's rubbish. It's the hygiene of mathematics, axiomatization.”

Doe Lasts Mathematics Rubbish Hygiene

Book:The Beauty of Doing Mathematics: Three Public Dialogues

Source: The Beauty of Doing Mathematics: Three Public Dialogues

“Questions have also arisen about AIDS being transmitted to hemophiliacs via blood transfusions.”

Blood Aids Hiv Blood Transfusion

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

“Roughly speaking, this hypothesis asks whether drug use causes some of the diseases officially associated with AIDS, such as immunodeficiency and Kaposi's sarcoma.”

Use Asks Causes Drug Disease Aids Hypothesis Hiv Drug Use

Book:Challenges

Source: Challenges

About the Author

Born: May 19, 1927
Died: September 12, 2005
Known for: Mathematician
Quotes: 17

Books & Sources

ChallengesRelated source material

The Beauty of Doing Mathematics: Three Public DialoguesRelated source material

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