Hi, Leo and Pana,

Let me just recall as best as possible. I believe somebody said something in a book. The author just said Beltrand Russel said something like that. There was no quotation there. Otherwise I would have looked at references or just search the exact sentence online, the one assumed to be said by him.

Once I read a book about the tragedy of two Japanese mathematicians who developed a new theorem in number theory, a branch of mathematics. That's probably the book I was talking bout but I'm not sure. In fact, there are people who suspect that certain branches (probably certain fields in number theory, or theoretical physics) are harmful or even possibly made to harm?

I feel that there is a good chance Beltrand Russel said something profound and also provoking, because he's a good mathematician too, right?

I know in math,  the art of endless simplification, a good solution usually blocks a better one. That's why the best in math Olympiads mostly ended up empty-handed in their careers. By extensive training, the inertia of "good" thinking is so heavy that they lose the momentum instead.

Another issue is misuse of scientific knowledge. A theory is only valid under certain conditions. If you cross the bounder, it can go from correct to absurd.

There are people who insist Goldbach conjecture is useful, but I seriously doubt it. In theoretical physics, people said "no" to building larger super particle colliders. We simply cannot afford those any more. Theoretical physicist are reluctant to accept the failure, simply because they devoted too much in those things to give up.

But still,  are those things totally different from those harmful or possibly made to harm?