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arXiv · 1704.02871

What is a Theorem?

Jeffrey C. Jackson
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Abstract

General acceptance of a mathematical proposition $P$ as a theorem requires convincing evidence that a proof of $P$ exists. But what constitutes "convincing evidence?" I will argue that, given the types of evidence that are currently accepted as convincing, it is inconsistent to deny similar acceptance to the evidence provided for the existence of proofs by certain randomized computations.

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Jeffrey C. Jackson. 2017-03-30. What is a Theorem?. https://arxiv.org/abs/1704.02871

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