Ramanujan (most gifted mathematician ever)

[Jarno]

A movie is made of this person. He's been called the most weird/extreme mathematician by Marc Zuckerberg, and Micha Kaku.

The guy was born poor in India, given one math textbook and with only that he discovered a huge number of new math theorems. He never graduated though was invited to England, and made incredible math discoveries which are still way ahead even for todays standards. The unfortunate part was that he mainly rediscovered math that was already developed in the west, and that he died at a young age. He said he got his formula's from God in his dreams (lolwut!). A new note book was discovered after his death, giving an extra boost to his already cult status.

I called him the most gifted mathematician ever, because i have no other way to describe this extraordinary person.

Some pics are on google.

I think he's either LII or ILI. What do you guys think?

[uncivilized]

I've done some reading about him. He seemed to have a very mystical and spiritual side, something often attributed more to ILI. He often claimed to get his insights from dreams, said he'd wake up and quickly write down what he saw. Would that be more Ni-ish or Ne-ish? I often do that myself, write little poems in my dreams and then scribble them down on real paper only to see how utterly stupid they are when I'm fully awake.

[Soupman]

From VI he seems quite clearly ILI, signs are there that he's rather relaxed and adaptable, as opposed to being far more tense, as LIIs are.

[Soupman]

I wouldn't rule out LSI's regarding eccentricity by the way, since they are known to harbour such characteristics. Technocrat (ST) scientists are quite prevalent.

[Exodus]

He certainly was gifted, but probably not the most gifted mathematician ever.

My vague impression of his type was IEI, he seemed to have difficulty with the technical aspects of math, he would basically just write down the answer and had difficulty proving theorems formally for a long time. His mentor Hardy seems LSI or maybe ESI.

[Singu]

I think IXI.

My vague impression of his type was IEI, he seemed to have difficulty with the technical aspects of math, he would basically just write down the answer and had difficulty proving theorems formally for a long time. His mentor Hardy seems LSI or maybe ESI.

This sounds rather IEI:

"He seemed to have been perhaps emotionally more interested in his philosophical ideas than in his mathematical work. He spoke with such enthusiasm about the philosophical questions that sometimes I felt he would have been better pleased to have succeeded in establishing his philosophical theories than in supplying rigorous proofs of his mathematical conjectures.”

“Ramanujan had a somewhat shy and quiet disposition, a dignified bearing, and pleasant manners. He would listen carefully to that other people were saying but would usually remain silent. If he was asked any question, or on rare occasions, if he joined in any general conversation, he would speak frankly, but briefly. Whilst speaking to a friend or in very small groups, he would, however, expound his own ideas with great enthusiasm, not only on philosophical questions but occasionally also on other subjects in which he was seriously interested. Although I could not follow his mathematics, he left a lasting impression on my mind. His bright eyes and gentle face with a friendly smile are still vivid in my mind.”

http://www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan/newnow/pcm5.htm

[Exodus]

I think IXI.



This sounds rather IEI:

"He seemed to have been perhaps emotionally more interested in his philosophical ideas than in his mathematical work. He spoke with such enthusiasm about the philosophical questions that sometimes I felt he would have been better pleased to have succeeded in establishing his philosophical theories than in supplying rigorous proofs of his mathematical conjectures.”

“Ramanujan had a somewhat shy and quiet disposition, a dignified bearing, and pleasant manners. He would listen carefully to that other people were saying but would usually remain silent. If he was asked any question, or on rare occasions, if he joined in any general conversation, he would speak frankly, but briefly. Whilst speaking to a friend or in very small groups, he would, however, expound his own ideas with great enthusiasm, not only on philosophical questions but occasionally also on other subjects in which he was seriously interested. Although I could not follow his mathematics, he left a lasting impression on my mind. His bright eyes and gentle face with a friendly smile are still vivid in my mind.”

http://www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan/newnow/pcm5.htm

The site also mentions how he was working on a theory of everything, and him appreciating the author helping him to protect himself from the cold in England. So far as that goes it suggests LII.

[Soupman]

Ni-ILI. This subtype is NF-like, aka more wishy-washy.

Also, as ambush said, 'bad with Ti' ("technical aspects of math") - Ti is not *natural* for ILI.

The dream/writing it down ASAP stuff is so Ni. Of course, anyone can get insightful ideas from dreams, but being so determined that whatever one dreams is so world-changing that they are compelled to feverishly seek out pen and paper - Ni.

lol ILI is bad with "Ti" either that's coming from a crackpot or your understanding and variant of socionics is so wack and divorced from reality that anybody who is good at maths is automatically a Ti type.

You'd be surprised to learn that SEEs that are exceptional at maths and logic exist, but they are SEEs because of personality preferences as opposed to acumen. There are plenty of LII and ILE that are crap at maths and science, they are just not gifted, but they do exhibit the general thinking styles of those types.

[WVBRY]

Interesting guy.

[silke]

After listening to the BBC documentary LII 5w6 seems to be the most probable typing for him.

This sounds too much like Si "hidden agenda", almost like he was trying to anchor himself in the new place by Si: "My dear [friend] please excuse me for the long delay in writing to you. Now I'm somewhat accustomed to living here. Until now I did not feel comfortable and I would often think why have I come here. It was due to the difficulty of getting proper food. Has it not been for the good milk and the fruits here, I would have suffered more. Mr. Hardy and others here are very unassuming, kind, and obliging. As for my food, I have no other goal but to cook myself. There is no place near this college where I can get vegetarian food. I'll be very much obliged if you can send me some tamarind and good coconut oil by postal parcel through the cheapest route." - a letter he wrote after leaving for London.


And G. H. Hardy sounds like an IEI 1w9 with strong connection to e4:

From A Mathematician's Apology by Hardy: " ... A mathematician, like a painter or a poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas. ... A painter makes patterns with shapes and colours, a poet with words. A painting may embody an ‘idea’, but the idea is usually commonplace and unimportant. In poetry, ideas count for a good deal more; but, [...] the importance of ideas in poetry is habitually exaggerated: '... Poetry is not the thing said but a way of saying it.' [In poetry,] the poverty of the ideas seems hardly to affect the beauty of the verbal pattern. ... The mathematician’s patterns, like the painter’s or the poet’s must be beautiful; the ideas like the colours or the words, must fit together in a harmonious way. Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics.

... Chess problems are the hymn-tunes of mathematics.

... I am interested in mathematics only as a creative art."