Alexander Grothendieck, a mathematical genius and latterly a hermit, who died last year, “revolutionised postwar mathematics in the 1950s/60s as Einstein had physics a generation earlier. Moving beyond distinct disciplines such as geometry, algebra and topology, he worked in pursuit of a deeper, universal language to unify them all.”
The publication in 2022 of his memoir renewed interest in his work with growing academic and corporate attention to how Grothendieckian concepts could be practically applied for technological ends. Chinese telecoms giant Huawei believes his esoteric concept of the topos could be key to building the next generation of AI. Which he would have disliked since his motivations were not worldly ones. A former colleague wrote: “He pursued a kind of monologue, or rather a dialogue with mathematics and God, which to him were one and the same.”
Born 28 March 1928 12.45am Berlin, Germany, he was abandoned to foster care aged five when his parents fled Nazi Germany to fight for the socialist cause in Europe and was only reunited with his mother in 1939 when they went to live in a French internment camp. His Jewish father died in Auschwitz.
He had a packed 3rd house with his Aries Sun conjunct innovative Uranus on one side and Jupiter on the other square an 8th house Pluto. His Pluto was further emphasised being on the focal point of a yod to Saturn in Sagittarius Ascendant sextile Mars in Aquarius. Such an intense and loaded Pluto can produce individuals way ahead of their time in discovering fundamental truths which are often ignored until later – and being in the 8th his interest would lie beyond the rational world. His Neptune (often prominent in top level mathematicians) was in the intellectual 9th house and that plus a packed 3rd would give him an over active mind.
He retreated from academia after 1970 when the tr Uranus Pluto were moving across his Midheaven into a reclusive existence in France and latterly his studies were fixated on the problem of why evil exists in the world. He became more mystical and probably unbalanced living a hermit’s existence.
His leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17th harmonic was strong – as was Steve Jobs.
The post Alexander Grothendieck – mystic and mathematical first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
