Math Genius Turns Down $1 Million After Solving Riddle

[CamMK27]

Sorry Josh, I don't take .ca domains in trade. Cash only bro!

Chris You accept Cash ONLY, you are Genius. A Bigger Genius than this Mathematician. LMAO

[TheLegendaryJP]

Shucks :(

[mvl]

Just because he is not like you doesn't make him an idiot.

[Bender]

Why not accept it and donate it to a good cause if you don't want it.

simply have them donate the money to a charity seems a win-win situation.
I can't say that I blame him, though, nor wish to be in his shoes.

[DutchBoyd]

What a crazy story! Thanks for sharing it.

I agree with what has been said before... the guy is obviously not an idiot. He probably thinks we're all idiots for placing so much value on money. Sounds like he's just an uber-genius who's thinking in four-dimensional terms and US dollars don't spend well in the 4th dimension.

Still don't understand his decision, though, because imagine how many ketchup packets he could have bought with that money (which I'm told spend extremely well in the 4th dimension)...

[ksinclair]

Not everyone is about just money, though most members of a forum like this would not understand.

He wants the American mathematician not just to get money, but to get recognized for his work.

And the problem he solved is not just a 'riddle' as the OP says, it is a very deep and fundamental problem in Mathematics.

[fab]

I'm considering impersonating him and taking the cash.

[Tedgeman]

The world is made up of many different minds, and personally, I respect the man,s decision tremendously. Its wonderful to see someones value system above the norm, as its pushes us to ponder other avenues of thought. I,m afraid all to often, we judge a deed like a book cover, without given credit to the contents. A refreshing post...

[Maxwell]

The world is made up of many different minds, and personally, I respect the man,s decision tremendously. Its wonderful to see someones value system above the norm, as its pushes us to ponder other avenues of thought. I,m afraid all to often, we judge a deed like a book cover, without given credit to the contents. A refreshing post...

Much agreed.

For someone like him, math is his passion, and receiving credit of any sort is simply not doable out of his respect to mathematics. His declining the award was quite honorable.

Do keep in mind that if he were to donate all the money to charity, he would have received recognition for doing so, and taking such credit would be almost the same thing as keeping the money for himself.

I'm no scientist, but if I were to discover a cure for cancer, I would not take compensation for such a discovery, as such a substantial contribution to mankind is compensation enough.

I'm as mercenary as they come, but I live that way with a conscience.

[thinkingsmall]

There is something called pride.

If you have lived in America long enough, you probably have forgotten what it is or you never had it to start with.

Before you make some knee-jerk reply about 'land of the free, home of the brave' consider this : In America any thug with a badge and a gun can zap your little kid with 50,000 volts if he feels like it, but if you (the parent who loves your child more than life itself) slap his bottom for throwing a rock at the neighbor's car, you are immediately a criminal who will be hunted down and jailed.

A dog on a street in Minsk has more rights than an American parent.

No other people, other than Americans accepts so submissively such humiliation in their own country from their own government. So.... if you are born and brought up in America, you don't understand and will never understand the concept of 'pride' that the rest of the world values so much, especially Russians who even during communist tyranny never surrendered the basic and God-given rights of the family.

And don't bother googling 'pride' you will probably just get some homo websites !

[Mike Cruz]

There is something called pride.

If you have lived in America long enough, you probably have forgotten what it is or you never had it to start with.

Before you make some knee-jerk reply about 'land of the free, home of the brave' consider this : In America any thug with a badge and a gun can zap your little kid with 50,000 volts if he feels like it, but if you (the parent who loves your child more than life itself) slap his bottom for throwing a rock at the neighbor's car, you are immediately a criminal who will be hunted down and jailed.

A dog on a street in Minsk has more rights than an American parent.

No other people, other than Americans accepts so submissively such humiliation in their own country from their own government. So.... if you are born and brought up in America, you don't understand and will never understand the concept of 'pride' that the rest of the world values so much, especially Russians who even during communist tyranny never surrendered the basic and God-given rights of the family.

And don't bother googling 'pride' you will probably just get some homo websites !

Funny how someone trying to lecture others about pride, finishes the lecture with pure idiocy and ignorance.

[SIKHboy]

There is something called pride.

If you have lived in America long enough, you probably have forgotten what it is or you never had it to start with.

Before you make some knee-jerk reply about 'land of the free, home of the brave' consider this : In America any thug with a badge and a gun can zap your little kid with 50,000 volts if he feels like it, but if you (the parent who loves your child more than life itself) slap his bottom for throwing a rock at the neighbor's car, you are immediately a criminal who will be hunted down and jailed.

A dog on a street in Minsk has more rights than an American parent.

No other people, other than Americans accepts so submissively such humiliation in their own country from their own government. So.... if you are born and brought up in America, you don't understand and will never understand the concept of 'pride' that the rest of the world values so much, especially Russians who even during communist tyranny never surrendered the basic and God-given rights of the family.

And don't bother googling 'pride' you will probably just get some homo websites !

so you are trying to explain what is pride.

Btw I was raised in us, and i still do not agree with you what exactly you have stated in your post.

[PokerPie]

"He has a different psychological makeup, which makes him see life differently."

LOL in other words he's batshit crazy

[Infoproliferati]

The mathematician made a simple statement: "I didn't do it for the money."

This is understandable and honorable actually. It is much the same as a successful business man who refuses to take his company public. Beyond a certain point some people are satisfied with what they have and their passion. For those of you calling him an idiot, is that really so hard to believe?