Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!amdahl!pyramid!prls!philabs!linus!mbunix!bwk
From: bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Natural Paradox
Summary: Is Fermat's Last Theorem Provable?
Keywords: Counterexample, Evidence, Belief, Proof, Provability
Message-ID: <44585@linus.UUCP>
Date: 7 Feb 89 00:01:15 GMT
References: <1706@tank.uchicago.edu> <9526@ihlpb.ATT.COM>
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry Kort)
Organization: The Gallimaufrey, Atsea, UK
Lines: 17

In article <9526@ihlpb.ATT.COM> arm@ihlpb.UUCP (55528-Macalalad,A.R.) writes:

 > It would be very interesting, though, to see a statement which
 > was 'provable' yet not 'provable' that it's 'provable.'

Consider the statement:

	Fermat's Last Theorem is provable.

Many mathematicians believe the above statement to be true.
(Otherwise, they wouldn't continue searching for a proof of
Fermat's Last Theorem.)  But as of this writing, there is no
proof that Fermat's Last Theorem is provable.

Perhaps Fermat's Last Theorem is true but unprovable.

--Barry Kort