Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site uvacs.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!unc!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!dsr
From: dsr@uvacs.UUCP (Dana S. Richards)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle,net.math
Subject: Re: Re: Logic puzzle creation query
Message-ID: <63@uvacs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Dec-85 13:43:26 EST
Article-I.D.: uvacs.63
Posted: Fri Dec 13 13:43:26 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Dec-85 00:22:44 EST
References: <4253@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <435@hounx.UUCP> <214@yale.ARPA>
Organization: U.Va. CS dept.  Charlottesville, VA
Lines: 30
Xref: watmath net.puzzle:1249 net.math:2631

> 
>    Has Smullyan actually done anything significant?  Meaning no disrespect,
> but I think of Smullyan as clever version of Martin Gardner?  Any support of
> the claim that he is one of the "6 greatest living mathematicians?" Greatest
> in what sense? He's a clever communicator,and a bright problem solver, but 
> as a mathematician, what has he contributed to the field?  Anyone out there 
> with details?
> 
I do not have them here but he has written two excellent texts/monographs on
logic and I have found numerous journal articles by him but I do not yet 
have a comprehensive list.
I am not a logician but I understand his contributions were considerable.
I attended a lecture of his where the "light" portion was a (very) short
proof of incomputability.
Despite what another poster said I do believe that he is a mathematician;
he is also a philosopher (with a strong bias, see Tao and 5000) which is
natural for a logician I suppose.
He mainly does puzzles and expositions now as far as I can see.

Gardner is not clever?
I see what you mean in that he (like Conway) interjects humor where ever
possible.  He is quite  unlike Gardner in that he started out as a 
mathematician and drifted into exposition.  Hence his books are really
tough sledding for anyone without a math background.
(Smullyan's interest in puzzles is longstanding; I believe he started
doing retrograde chess problems in the 50's and was an early correspondent
of Gardner in the early 60's.)

I have all of his books in paperback, and am quite annoyed that Lady has
not yet appeared in paperback.  Hopefully Mockingbird will be in pb soon.