[FOM] Sergeyev-gate

[S. S. Kutateladze]

Dear All,

I quote one of the first papers of Sergeyev ( GO stands for the symbol he used)

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[4]: The new numeral GO allows us to write down the set, N, of natural numbers in the form
N = {1, 2, 3, ..., GO − 2, GO − 1, GO}
because grossone has been introduced as the number of elements of the set of natural numbers (similarly, the 
number 3 is the number of elements of the set {1,2,3}). Thus, grossone is the biggest natural number.
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(For analysis and references see http://www.math.nsc.ru/LBRT/g2/english/ssk/ARTICLES/smj49_5_2.pdf 
or https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11202-008-0082-0).

The above passage alone excludes his author from the mathematical community.
Although he tries to conceal this position in later publications, the idea remains the same. All his would-be results
are  either trivial or easy consequences of nonstandard analysis in which one may take N! with any infinite N to achieve 
the results of Sergeyev's  simple exercises with grandiose pretenses (he even declares that he solved the  Continuum Hypothesis). 

The personality of Sergeyev is irrelevant  in much the same way as it is irrelevant 
whether he believes in what he is doing or not. The problem is neither him  nor the reputation of FoS
or Springer Nature, but the security of our trade and standards. 

He publishes junk and made mistakes.
He is not alone in this, as this happens even to the best of us. But 
he never acknowledges nor repairs his mistakes. He persistently
neglects the opinion of the specialists in the field which he hardly knows or understands. 
He boasts, brags, and threatens in mass media to sue the opponents instead. He corrupts the fair trade
of math irrespectively of his intentions. His behavior is perilous to math and science as a whole.

Lysenko of the fUSSR was of the same kind in biology. That's why I felt obliged to oppose him a decade ago.
I do not change this position of mine. The expulsion of pseudoscience from science is the duty of scientists.


Semen Kutateladze




                
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