From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/3097 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Marta Bunge" Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Re: cracks and pots Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 11:30:21 -0500 Message-ID: References: <4416E9D7.4030704@cs.stmarys.ca> Reply-To: marta.bunge@mcgill.ca NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1241019092 7239 80.91.229.2 (29 Apr 2009 15:31:32 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:31:32 +0000 (UTC) To: categories@mta.ca Original-X-From: rrosebru@mta.ca Tue Mar 14 19:00:54 2006 -0400 Return-path: Envelope-to: categories-list@mta.ca Delivery-date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 19:00:54 -0400 Original-Received: from Majordom by mailserv.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.52) id 1FJITr-0003dN-H3 for categories-list@mta.ca; Tue, 14 Mar 2006 18:59:07 -0400 In-Reply-To: <4416E9D7.4030704@cs.stmarys.ca> Original-Sender: cat-dist@mta.ca Precedence: bulk X-Keywords: X-UID: 43 Original-Lines: 32 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:3097 Archived-At: Dear Robert, I agree with most of what you say, and I was not suggesting that we police how categorists choose to apply their field. Nothing further from my mind. > Mathematics, like the phone service, is a "common carrier". We develop it; >we use it; but we have neither the right nor the obligation to police how >others apply it (unless they get the mathematics itself wrong?). Moreover, >given the historical difficulty of recognizing good physical theories ahead >of time, it would be impossible to do so wisely even if we had the right. But organizers of meetings in category-related subjects can certainly direct attention to certain trends in category theory, thereby promoting certain areas over others, and this they can easily do by their choice of invited speakers of (series of) lectures. They may have neither the right nor the obligation to do so, but they certainly have the power to do so. If this happens consistently, then the outcome is predictable. Students (and their advisors) might flock to certain areas of research just because they are fashionable and can thus get funding that otherwise will not be easily obtained. This may lead to narrow developments of any subject that they approach with this objective in mind, and that is dangerous for the future of category theory (of mathematics, in general). That is my main concern. My posting tried to call attention to what I think is a sad state of affairs in category theory, when it need not be. Best wishes, Marta