13/08/2018

In an interview with Folha, Cédric Villani says that politics needs scientists.

Cédric fez palestra sobre a idade estimada da Terra. Foto: Pablo Costa / ICM 2018

Reproduction from Folha de S. Paulo

Reporting by Fernando Tadeu Moraes

Among the many stars of mathematical research who gathered in Rio during the 28th International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), none is as popular as the Frenchman Cédric Villani.

Awarded the Fields Medal in 2010, popularly known as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics," Villani also stands out for his peculiar style: he wears well-tailored suits, accompanied by a waistcoat and a silk scarf instead of a tie, carries a pocket watch, and sports showy cufflinks on his wrists. He always wears a large spider brooch pinned to his lapel.

His collection of prestigious academic awards, his original attire, and his willingness to popularize mathematics with the general public made him a kind of pop star in the discipline.

In the corridors of ICM-2018, the most important event in mathematics, which for the first time was organized in a country in the Southern Hemisphere, Villani was frequently stopped to take photos, give autographs, or simply be greeted.

“Winning the medal changed everything in my life,” he told Folha . “Since then, I have taken on the task of transmitting mathematics to larger audiences, I have written books, given lectures all over the world and become a public figure, recognized by people.”

Another consequence of the popularity gained after receiving the most prestigious award in mathematics was his entry into politics. Last year, Villani was elected deputy for La République En Marche!, the party of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

It wasn't easy starting this new adventure, the mathematician admits. “Scientists aren't prepared for politics. It's a violent environment, full of lies and gossip. Furthermore, the visibility makes you a target. Every day someone comes to insult you on social media.”

Despite this, the researcher states that he is convinced that "politics needs scientists, both to bring science into technical discussions, such as those involving the fight against global warming and the preservation of the environment, and to help in the communication between these two fields."

In just over a year in the French Parliament, Villani became involved in preparing a report with proposals to reform mathematics education in French public schools and laid the foundations for a new strategy for his country in the field of artificial intelligence.

Politics consumes all of his time these days. “I had to put research aside. At most, I manage to teach a few classes.” The mathematician maintains his connection with the University of Lyon, although he has no obligations and receives no salary. “I still go there when I need to discuss a topic or give a lecture.”

This is a drastic change for someone whose life has always been closely linked to mathematics.

"She's been with me for so long that it's as if she was born inside me, not something I discovered someday," she asserts.

This close connection is reflected in the passionate language he uses to refer to the subject. "In adolescence, classical geometry was my great love. At the beginning of my higher education, I fell in love with algebra."

He ended up dedicating himself to partial differential equations. One facet of his work is applying this branch of mathematics to questions in physics, such as understanding the behavior of gases.
In 2012, he wrote the book "Théorème Vivant," which has already been translated into 15 languages (Portuguese is not among them).

“In the book, I sought to describe, in an impressionistic way, from the point of view of the heart, what it's like to arrive at an important mathematical discovery. It's a new way of communicating mathematics, leaving aside all the technical aspects and focusing on the emotion and adventure of working with mathematics.”

In Villani's particular universe, the great theorems of mathematics occupy a special place. "They are truly works of art."

The only difference, he says, between them and a painting by Raphael, for example, is that however much the interpretation of a painting by the Renaissance master may change, the work remains the same, whereas the great theorems change the way they are presented throughout history.

"The Riemann uniformization theorem [a central result in a field known as complex analysis], since it was proposed in the mid-19th century, has been rewritten in various forms, extended, combined with others, so that when we see it in textbooks today it is written in a way quite different from the original."

“It is still a great work by Riemann,” he continues, “but the details have changed over time, with the contribution of other mathematicians, and it has become a collective work. It’s as if, over the centuries, other artists have been adding brushstrokes to Raphael’s painting.”

The Frenchman uses all this passion when it comes to taking mathematics outside the academic environment.

“I try to show that mathematics isn’t just about results. People want to hear the story of an adventure—and not just a scientific adventure, but also a human adventure,” he says.

According to Villani, there are essentially three ways to recount the adventures of his discipline.

“One is through the adventure of the people who participated in them, their human side. There is also the adventure of the projects, where the focus is on the issues that still need to be resolved. Finally, there is an adventure of ideas, a journey in which we move from one problem to the next, showing how they were overcome.”

In his lectures for wider audiences, he says, he seeks to combine these three aspects. At ICM-2018, the mathematician gave a public lecture where he recounted the history of three centuries of attempts to determine the correct age of the Earth.

"Science needs communication, and not just the kind done by science writers or journalists. Scientists also have a role to play in this, sharing their discoveries and experiences."

CONGRESS HIGHLIGHTS

Crime (still) unsolved
At the opening, the Fields Medal of the UK-based Kurd Caucher Birkar was stolen; the congress ended last Thursday (9) without the thieves being arrested.

Awards beyond Fields
In addition to the Fields Medal, the International Congress of Mathematicians awards other important honors, such as:
Nevanlinna Prize , for researchers under 40 years old with achievements in information science;
Chern Medal , awarded to those who have made extraordinary contributions to mathematics;
The Gauss Prize , awarded to scientists whose research has had a major impact on technology and business;
Leelavati Prize , which recognizes contributions to raising public awareness of mathematics.

Babies welcome
Many women brought their babies to ICM-2018. The event prepared for this: there was a special area for them to take care of their children.

Total number of participants
ICM-2018 had 3,018 delegates from 114 countries. In total, more than 10,000 people attended the event.

Until next time
St. Petersburg, Russia, will host the next ICM in 2022.