Created Sunday 01 February 2026
Imagine you are in a museum, but instead of art pieces there are math formulas. As your guide, I lead you to an exhibit. It looks like a bunch of scribbles, but my eyes light up as I am talking about it:
"This piece has become a cornerstone of a couple of new directions in math. It talks about a moment when you set a long goal - like going to the Moon or winning in a game of chess. It is born from the struggle of making a plan while facing an uncertainty - the uncertainty of the future and of the world around you. And it talks about how you create a set of values for yourself to guide you through that uncertainty. You are looking for values with integrity, values that respect your goals and those that respect the physical reality – and in this piece's world the "true" values come naturally to you as you work through the details of your situation.
I find this piece's message extremely hopeful. Unfortunately, math is only a reflection of reality, and people often take it way too literally..." – I lead on as we are moving to the next exhibit.