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Comment by Goettingenknowr | Hacker News Reader

There were plenty of accomplished mathematicians before Hilbert. But the real golden age of Göttingen math and physics was due to a large recruitment effort led by David Hilbert. After realizing some early success in his recruitment effort, the reputation of Göttingen as the place to be for math and physics grew more organically.

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I read a bunch of Hilbert's letters once, thinking it would be an interesting window into a significant mind. It was 90% departmental politics - not really the cynical kind: he was really concerned with getting good mathematicians jobs (in Göttingen or elsewhere). And you get to watch him observe all his efforts come to naught as the German political situation goes nuts building up to the Second World War, and employment restrictions are added, people flee, etc. .

It shows you how valuable it is to have these superstars in your institute. Hiring One hilbert is worth more than hiring a thousand median scientists, and way cheaper too!

> This reminds me of a post I recall, that the lone genius is actually a symbol of society's sweeping failures and not of singular merit.

(from a comment above) Idk much about math or anything would love to make it to AGI that can tell me which opinion is correct when reading HN

That is just partially true. Hilbert was essential but "just" one factor amongst others.

For example, there was also Felix Klein (who brought Hilbert to Göttingen) who was more on the teaching side. He even designed the house from the ground up in a way that he thought would be optimal for teaching and working together.

There is a really good article by Norbert Schappacher called

"Das Mathematische Institut der Universität Göttingen im Nationalsozialismus"

"The Mathematical Institute of the University of Göttingen under National Socialism"

https://irma.math.unistra.fr/~schappa/NSch/Publications_file...

You can DeepL it. Here is just the first paragraph:

   Göttingen has been a name in the mathematical world since Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855). However, from the end of the 19th century until the National Socialists seized power, it was for many the center of the mathematical world, and in this respect it outstripped the traditional centers of interest: Paris and Berlin was above all the joint work of David Hilbert (1862–1943) and Felix Klein (1849–1925), around whom an increasingly important mathematical institute was formed. Hilbert's role was on the side of creative mathematical research, which he pursued with complete openness to all possible new ideas and with a versatility not seen since Gauss. Felix Klein, on the other hand, was above all an exceptionally successful organizer and academic teacher in Göttingen – four years before his appointment to Göttingen, a health breakdown had ended the period of his most original mathematical research.

It goes into great detail from the pre-war to the post-war era.

In addition, mathematics and physics were very much intertwined in those days - one inspired the other. And Göttingen was essentially a village - everyone knew everyone. They would meet up in a bar in the evening and speak about whats on their mind. That way, there was also a regular get-together with the local industry.

For example Robert Wichard Pohl, head of the 1st physics institute (called "a patriarch of physics" or "The good Lord"), Gustav Tammann, head of the institute for physical chemistry, and the heads of Ruhstrat (a local company specialized in developing and manufacturing high-temperature industrial furnaces, transformers, etc.) regularly met. Pohl wanted to have a furnace for what was later called the Czochralski method (creating pure crystals) and Ruhstrat built the stuff.

Or in 1894, in collaboration with Nobel Prize winner Prof. Walter Nernst, Ruhstrat created the adjustable sliding resistor, the basis for adjusting and changing resistances as well as current and voltage. They supplied the first private homes and businesses in Göttingen with electricity using electrical block stations and developed the electricity meter.

Lots of aspects came together to thrive, not just Hilbert.

P.S. Fun fact: Ernst (or Adolf?) Ruhstrat had the first car in town and later sold it to Tammann.

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