The Horgan Surface and the Death of Proof

In a letter to the editor Hoffman wrote: “The Death of Proof” by John Horgan defies logic and accuracy in favor of controversy and sensationalism… I am very much in favor of the use of computer graphics in mathematical research and communication, but is there one respectable mathematician willing to explain and defend the notion of video proofs as a replacement for traditional mathematical methods? Hoffman and Karcher named the object the “Horgan surface” because they saw it as a refutation of the notion that computer models can replace rigorous proofs. Hoffman and Karcher coined the phrase “Horgan surface,” Weber noted, as “a small revenge” for “Death of Proof.”

Source: blogs.scientificamerican.com