The proof of Fermat's theorem is a "Rube Goldberg contraption"

Doron Zeilberger does not pull his punches:

All that Andrew Wiles did, in his FLT proof, was solve one problem, using ad hoc arguments, that depend on historical contingencies of what was proved before. It is a huge Rube Goldberg contraption, that is unlikely to lead to anything further of any significance, just more of the same human drivel.

In context, he is talking about the importance of computer-generated proofs. Read the whole article.

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