"On Independence Axiom" by Ihor Kendiukhov
Published: March 10, 2026
Duration: 44:59
The Fifth Fourth Postulate of Decision Theory
In 1820, the Hungarian mathematician Farkas Bolyai wrote a desperate letter to his son János, who had become consumed by the same problem that had haunted his father for decades:
"You must not attempt this approach to parallels. I know this way to the very end. I have traversed this bottomless night, which extinguished all light and joy in my life. I entreat you, leave the science of parallels alone... Learn from my example."
The problem was Euclid's fifth postulate, the parallel postulate, which states (in one o...
In 1820, the Hungarian mathematician Farkas Bolyai wrote a desperate letter to his son János, who had become consumed by the same problem that had haunted his father for decades:
"You must not attempt this approach to parallels. I know this way to the very end. I have traversed this bottomless night, which extinguished all light and joy in my life. I entreat you, leave the science of parallels alone... Learn from my example."
The problem was Euclid's fifth postulate, the parallel postulate, which states (in one o...