From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/3120 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "V. Schmitt" Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Re: cracks and pots Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 09:51:00 +0000 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1241019106 7326 80.91.229.2 (29 Apr 2009 15:31:46 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:31:46 +0000 (UTC) To: categories@mta.ca Original-X-From: rrosebru@mta.ca Thu Mar 16 20:28:57 2006 -0400 Return-path: Envelope-to: categories-list@mta.ca Delivery-date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 20:28:57 -0400 Original-Received: from Majordom by mailserv.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.52) id 1FK2oW-0007XA-9p for categories-list@mta.ca; Thu, 16 Mar 2006 20:27:32 -0400 Original-Sender: cat-dist@mta.ca Precedence: bulk X-Keywords: X-UID: 66 Original-Lines: 55 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:3120 Archived-At: Dear Marta, My english is so, so. I am french. But this is to give briefly my opinion (I agree with you more or less). I know a little of category and mathematics in general. I love the category theory developped in the 70's and I would have appreciated some category meetings at the time. But i am too young. Category theory like any good mathematics will never die - but may "our" category community will. Of course the problem is the way research is sponsored. Leading researchers are not so much good mathematicians but good salesmen. Category theory is just not very trendy at the minute and to get the money one needs to do theoretical physics (there had been also Computer Science at some point - that was poor is not it?). There were a couple of Fields medals and a new train called TQFT that everybody just jumps in to get funded. Now as a *community* what shall *we* do? First the question regards mainly the established people in the community (not me!). 1/ One can try to sell category theory in a better way. This is a bit like tomato sauce that you can put everywhere. And try to make new friends - inviting them to give talks... - from different disciplines. 2/ We may claim loudly that cat theory is real mathematics and really try hard to do good mathematics. There are certainly good mathematicians definitely willing to use cat theory. I saw many coming to category theory to develop their own maths (- this happens for instance in France with Berger who will never claim that he is a "categorician". Though he is completely in it!) My feeling is the attitude 1/ pushed to the extreme may be very damaging. These talks about category everywhere and for everything are just poor and sound really stupid. They do not serve the cause. 2/ Will be the rebirth of category - I bet! Sorry for the message written in haste and the poor english. Good e-mails from you on the list! best regards, Vincent.