“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2023 in Basic Sciences

Acceptance speech by Claire Voisin, winner of the 2023 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, who was honored alongside Yakov Eliashberg for their outstanding contributions to two branches of geometry: algebraic and symplectic geometry.

Voisin reflects on the value of mathematics as a field of knowledge in its own right and highlights the importance of rigor, creativity and intellectual freedom in research. She also emphasizes the cultural significance of mathematics and its role in developing critical thinking, stressing the need to prove statements in order to distinguish truth from falsehood.