[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-technology-invades-the-modern-world":3,"chapter-technology-invades-the-modern-world-technology-invades-the-modern-world-chapter-14":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Technology Invades the Modern World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269498,4430,"Chapter 14: Having a Badge Isn","technology-invades-the-modern-world-chapter-14",14,"\u003Cp>“Professor, thank you,” Lin Ran said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horkheimer said: “We are all atonal collectives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lin Ran’s lack of reaction, he shook his head and smiled: “Alright, it seems Larry Mayer didn’t convey much of Theodor Adorno’s thought to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Horkheimer’s memory, Larry Mayer was a devoted follower of Theodor Adorno, whose philosophical work, *Negative Dialectics*, was a pivotal force in shaping contemporary Western intellectual history toward postmodernism and post-Marxism, laying the theoretical foundation for nearly a century of critical theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phrase “atonal collective” mentioned by Horkheimer originated from Adorno’s concept of “atonal dialectical imagination” in *Negative Dialectics*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when they were at the Frankfurt University Institute for Social Research, they privately refused to call themselves a collective, preferring instead to say they were all atonal collectives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Ran’s heart tightened. *Damn, Guoran  just relying on the badge isn’t enough—I still need to fully grasp the philosophical positions and historical context of the Frankfurt School, or I won’t be able to get by with just this badge.*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also wondered: Could it be that the Frankfurt School elders had a different name for this badge during their founding ceremony?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth behind these historical details was hard to know unless you were an eyewitness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Lin Ran’s response failed to satisfy Horkheimer and instead stirred some doubt within him, he still did not refuse to give this young Chinese-American a chance and a bit of guidance from a senior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax—even if you don’t have the Fabian Society badge, I won’t let you be taken away by Rudolf.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve heard of Arthur Rudolf—he’s no good man. He worked for Nazi Germany and has plenty of blood on his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many in Washington want him dead; only because he’s stationed at the remote Red Stone Base and works for NASA can he barely survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Ran suddenly understood: Horkheimer was Jewish; clearly, among the German scientists recruited by Nazi Germany, this group of Jewish academic elites had heard of those who committed atrocities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Horkheimer showed no mercy toward the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horkheimer continued: “Although Arthur Rudolf worked for Nazi Germany, the blood on his hands wasn’t mostly Jewish—it was Irish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Horkheimer said no more, and Lin Ran could guess the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In America, the Irish were the second-largest ethnic group, highly united and politically successful, with many major figures in Washington hailing from Irish descent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 2008 Vice President of America, Joe, was a famous Irish-American political heavyweight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you don’t need to worry—NASA doesn’t just snatch anyone they want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur Rudolf probably intends to recruit you directly into NASA as an engineer through Operation Paperclip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with me vouching for you, he cannot use Operation Paperclip to force you into NASA against your will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Ran asked curiously: “Professor, what is Operation Paperclip?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horkheimer tapped his forehead: “Oh, I forgot you didn’t know about this plan—it was launched after WWII, when NASA passed Operation Paperclip to directly recruit German scientists by force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This operation continued until today, though now its targets are scientists from Cold War adversary nations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur Rudolf likely plans to classify you as a scientist from China.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with me vouching for you, where you’re from no longer matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Ran’s heart still hovered uneasily—though the man didn’t outright say he didn’t believe Lin Ran’s claim of being from Europe, that was clearly the implication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Ran did not expose this unspoken truth but thanked him again: “Understood, Professor, thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you hadn’t been here today, I wouldn’t know what fate awaited me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then briefly recounted his prior dealings with Haines and how his solved equation could benefit NASA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horkheimer frowned tightly: “Alright, I understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Randolph, better late than never—I’ll arrange it now. Today at 3 PM, in the Columbia University Mathematics Department, give a lecture on Fermat’s Last Theorem. Prepare quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the advantage of choosing Fermat’s Last Theorem as a door-opener—if you’d mentioned the Twin Prime Conjecture or the Poincaré Conjecture, you’d have to explain its value to a philosopher like Horkheimer before he grasped its weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Fermat’s Last Theorem, a famous conjecture from the 17th century tied to Fermat himself, needed no explanation—anyone would instantly recognize its significance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ralph Fox, head of Columbia University’s Mathematics Department, specialized in differential topology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than his academic achievements, his anecdotes in Go were what people loved to talk about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they weren’t talked about because he was skilled—they were talked about because he was terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Princeton, he played Go against Stephen Smale, who gave him a handicap of several stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?” Ralph Fox stared in shock—he certainly knew Horkheimer, the famed professor of philosophy and leader of the Frankfurt School.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now this man came to him saying one of their Chinese graduate students had proven Fermat’s Last Theorem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had anyone else said it, he’d have thought it was an April Fools’ joke four months early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t confirm it myself, which is why I’ve come to ask you to organize an internal academic seminar for him today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his proof is genuine, we must immediately offer him a professorship and prepare to convene a nationwide academic conference.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, I’m not familiar with Fermat’s Last Theorem. Many professors are still on vacation in Europe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me think—who should I invite to this seminar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh my God, Professor Horkheimer, you’ve given me an unexpected surprise—1960’s beginning is so sudden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, I get it. Let’s use the classroom on the southwest side of the second floor in the math building.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, this is too sudden—I need to alert the professors to prepare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ralph Fox planned to first summon Lipman Bers and Paul Cohen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though none of them worked on Fermat’s Last Theorem or related fields, they could make a rough judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the proof was credible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That much they could still do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was credible, they’d immediately recall every professor on vacation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Fermat’s Last Theorem, vacation meant nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>",990,"2026-06-19T21:37:46.551Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","22419ab29357dbb0e14b7662de07438dcb6ec600a622eaff3deb2d29d2b7e6e4","technology-invades-the-modern-world-chapter-15","technology-invades-the-modern-world-chapter-13",162,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ftechnology-invades-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]