Dangerous Knowledge (TV 2007)

Documentary about four of the most brilliant mathematicians of all time, Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, their genius, their tragic madness and their ultimate suicides.

Director:

David Malone

Stars:

David Malone, Roger Penrose

Cast

Credited cast:
David Malone
Roger Penrose

Storyline

Documentary about four of the most brilliant mathematicians of all time, Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, their genius, their tragic madness and their ultimate suicides.

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Plot Keywords:

science | logic | science of uncertainty | philosophy | kurt gödel | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 2007 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Well intended, but mixes fear with uncertainty.

A very melodramatic and incomplete history of the modern view of infinity, certainty and logic. I sure hope people don't take this as seriously as those who created it have done!

The work of Cantor, Boltzmann, Russell, Whitehead, Gödel and Turing were truly a great and wondrous things, but this 'rendition' of their work sows discord and disarray where none must be.

This video has almost more to do with fear and victimization than the achievements it proposes to make known or explain. It mixes and blurs the question of certainty with the feeling of being safe; thereby creating a false dichotomy.

Even some of the characterizations and conclusions are lop-sided and polarized.

Knowledge is not dangerous! Unless you have some reason to hide it or hide from it... which is perhaps an appropriate mode and epitaph of our 'modern' time.

There are certainties to knowledge... you need only change your perspective.