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Fermat, Pascal and Letters

29 September
Dear Internet,
[center]“I should like to open my heart to you henceforth if I may... I plainly see that the truth is the same at Toulouse and at Paris.” — Pascal to Fermat (1654) [0][/center] We might not see it from the warm words above, but the mathematicians Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat were writing to each other on their respective solutions to the “problem of points” (or the division of stakes) in gambling. I wonder if they knew at the moment of writing that their letters were laying the groundwork to modern probability theory; or that hundreds of thousands of people all over the world would read their exchange someday. In fact, as early as 1657, the first treatise on probability—‘On Reasoning in Games of Chance’ by the scientist Christian Huygens—was influenced in part by Pascal and Fermat’s letters. [1] For those who are interested in the art of letter writing and scientific exploration, Fermat and Pascal’s letters certainly deserve a read. I myself could not help but draw contrasts to the state of discourse in the modern world. Most emails today, I believe, are not nearly as gracious, patient, thoughtful, or curious. Of course, it is unfair of me to compare the average email to the writings of two intellectual titans. But I cannot help but wonder if something in our being has been lost to the instantaneity and hyperactivity of the Internet Age. Still, we are lucky that correspondences like these are preserved for academics, students, and others to study and enjoy. In the case of Fermat, many thanks should be given to his son Clement-Samuel—who spent many years of his life collating Fermat’s notes, letters, and musings. [3] One of the scribbled notes, in particular, turned out to be Fermat’s now famous Last Theorem, a conjecture that has since puzzled and occupied mathematicians for many centuries (at least until Andrew Wiles’ solution in 1995). [3] Can you imagine how the history of math might have unfolded if Fermat’s notes, or the notes of other great thinkers, were never found or published?  I also wonder just how many timeless email chains are lost today to the noise of cyberspace. In a world that relies less and less on long form letters, it’d be nice if we had a way to collect and share informal but insightful discussions. Of course, platforms like Collate are a wonderful place to start. But the system and community is only as good as its users. Effort on our part is necessary. So I encourage you, dear Internet and fellow users, if you possess a musing or discussion that is worth preserving, why don’t you upload it here? Sometimes, an offhand letter or scribble—even if it seems too silly, simple, or embarrassing at first—has potential to change the world. But we can never know if it is lost forever. Warm regards, Toby [0] Fermat and Pascal on Probability. <https://www.york.ac.uk/depts/maths/histstat/pascal.pdf>  [1] A Short History of Probability <https://homepages.wmich.edu/~mackey/Teaching/145/probHist.html> [2] July 1654: Pascal’s Letters to Fermat on the "Problem of Points" <https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200907/physicshistory.cfm> [3] Singh, Simon. (1997). Fermat’s Last Theorem.   [4] Fermat’s Last Margin Note. <https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/miscellany/fermats-last-margin-note>

Tobias Lim

Author profile picture Tobias Lim
6 October
Dear Tobias Lim,

I read you with pleasure. Nice idea to share our most relevant digital exchanges.

We can come out of a day without having retained a single word and, in a way, although the archival capacities of Humanity have never been so developed, our memory has never been so fallible in its mission. 

The abundance of our digital exchanges, and the multiplication of the channels, force us to a daily erasure of memory: like all machines, our brain is also limited in storage and processing capacity. 

I discover this platform, and your reflection, with enthusiasm. I hope to participate in this movement of memory, not of archive.

Respectfully,

Alexis

Alexis

Alexis
25 October
Dear Tobias Lim,

I've just read the exchange here between you and Alexis. What strikes me is the tenderness in the open letters, like yours, that have gotten thoughtful engagement from strangers passing by.

I always imagined that this vibe in a correspondence would be exclusive to letters on literature and art. The realm of emotions and expression. But what you show here with the quote from Pascal and your exchange with Alexis is this tenderness can exist between correspondents on any topic, no matter how scientific or intellectually groundbreaking.

It does seem, however, like there is something in common between the talking points of correspondences where this tenderness emerges. I was wondering if you could help me work out what this is?

There is a sense of nostalgia in your exchange with Erik where the lower velocity of snail mail prevented the information overload we experience today. This is also coupled with an optimism and excitement for a potential future where we benefit from the digital internet age - it's scale, reach and speed - combined with the ability to preserve and remember what is produced as easily as in the analogue world.

There is a personal element to your letters too, in which you express your feelings to the shortcomings of modern communication and the pleasure you have enjoyed encountering the letters of the past. This vulnerability is endearing and inviting for someone to chime in with less fear that their own feelings will be judged.

I wonder what you think? And how we can make Collate the platform for 'emails in public' that are worth preserving and sharing.

A warm goodbye, for now,

Oliver Kraftman

Oliver Kraftman

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