[sci.math.symbolic] G. Spenser-Brown: `Laws Of Form', and the four-color map theorem

stucki@wheaton.UUCP (02/26/87)

I have this book by G. Spenser-Brown called 'The Laws of Form' which claims
that it is the means by which the four-color map theorem was first proved in
a sufficient manner.  I'm looking for confirmation or refutation of this
claim.  Spenser-Brown claims that the proof by K. Appel and W. Haken (1976)
had a weak proposition which he has rectified in his proof.  Also if anyone
has opinions as to the quality of the work in this book or its validity I
would like to know.

mail can be sent to inhp4!wheaton!stucki

cjh@petsd.UUCP (02/27/87)

[]
In article <424@wheaton.UUCP> stucki@wheaton.UUCP writes:
>
>I have this book by G. Spenser-Brown called 'The Laws of Form' which claims
>that it is the means by which the four-color map theorem was first proved in
>a sufficient manner.  I'm looking for confirmation or refutation of this
>claim.  Spenser-Brown claims that the proof by K. Appel and W. Haken (1976)
>had a weak proposition which he has rectified in his proof.  Also if anyone
>has opinions as to the quality of the work in this book or its validity I
>would like to know.
>
If this is the book that I remember, it is an amateurish treatment of
some very elementary parts of propositional calculus.  The book is
chiefly notable for its unusual notation: boxes within boxes.
The author seems to have rediscovered the "Sheffer [sp?] stroke"
which is defined something like
           x | y = NOT ( x OR y).
All the other Boolean functions can be built up from this.

Spenser-Brown's rediscovery of this mildly interesting fact is OK as
far as it goes.  Unfortunately, he makes grandiose claims for the
importance and originality of his work. As for his alleged
contribution to the four-color theorem, I would dismiss it with the
rest of his self-hype.

Regards,
Chris

--
Full-Name:  Christopher J. Henrich
UUCP:       ...!hjuxa!petsd!cjh
US Mail:    MS 313; Concurrent Computer Corporation;
            106 Apple St; Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Phone:      (201) 758-7288
Concurrent Computer Corporation is a Perkin-Elmer company.

earle@tekcrl.TEK.COM (Earl Ecklund) (03/10/87)

In article <424@wheaton.UUCP> stucki@wheaton.UUCP (David J Stucki) writes:
>
>I have this book by G. Spenser-Brown called 'The Laws of Form' which claims
>that it is the means by which the four-color map theorem was first proved in
>a sufficient manner.  I'm looking for confirmation or refutation of this
>claim.
>

You might like to see:

Cull and Frank, "Flaws of Form", International Journal of
General Systems. 1979, Vol 5 pp 201-211.

drw@cullvax.UUCP (Dale Worley) (03/10/87)

stucki@wheaton.UUCP (David J Stucki) writes:
> I have this book by G. Spenser-Brown called 'The Laws of Form' which claims
> that it is the means by which the four-color map theorem was first proved in
> a sufficient manner.

It all sounds pretty hokey to me.  If it's the book I remember, all he
did was express propositional calculus in a weird notation.

Dale
-- 
Dale Worley		Cullinet Software
UUCP: ...!seismo!harvard!mit-eddie!cullvax!drw
ARPA: cullvax!drw@eddie.mit.edu