Re: A well kept secret?

[John Baez <john.c.baez@gmail.com>]

Andrew Stacey wrote:

> All this discussion about a "well kept secret" has gone
> a bit over my head.  I'm not sure what the secret is!

We could tell you...

... but then it wouldn't be a secret, now, would it?

Seriously, I think the so-called "secret" is the power and glory of
category theory.  And I think some of the older category theorists on
this mailing list have a different attitude than youngsters like you
and me.  They fought to convince the world that category theory was
worthwhile. Some feel they lost that fight.  We came along later and
are a bit puzzled by that attitude: if you look around at the
landscape of mathematics today, categories are everywhere!  From
Grothendieck to Voevodsky to Lurie, etc., much of the most exciting
mathematics of our era would be inconceivable without categories.

I don't think I'll try to tell you the old war stories: others are
better qualified.  But I hope the veterans of those wars take heed of
your comments and realize many young mathematicians naturally find
categories interesting,  exciting, and/or useful.  Certainly there is
much about categories that these youngsters don't understand.  But
they can learn it if you explain it.`

Best,
jb


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