From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/8745 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: John Baez Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Unexampled richness Date: Sat, 21 Nov 2015 16:56:56 -0800 Message-ID: Reply-To: John Baez NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1448318002 22079 80.91.229.3 (23 Nov 2015 22:33:22 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2015 22:33:22 +0000 (UTC) To: categories Original-X-From: majordomo@mlist.mta.ca Mon Nov 23 23:33:13 2015 Return-path: Envelope-to: gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from smtp3.mta.ca ([138.73.7.22]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1a0zfY-0006gE-Rf for gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org; Mon, 23 Nov 2015 23:33:09 +0100 Original-Received: from mlist.mta.ca ([138.73.1.63]:52551) by smtp3.mta.ca with esmtp (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1a0ze3-0002BU-6A; Mon, 23 Nov 2015 18:31:35 -0400 Original-Received: from majordomo by mlist.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1a0ze3-0001D8-D1 for categories-list@mlist.mta.ca; Mon, 23 Nov 2015 18:31:35 -0400 Precedence: bulk Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:8745 Archived-At: Dear Categorists - pjf wrote: Jim Holt wrote in his "Diary" on Slate, 2000--11--27 > > Category theory is a ridiculously abstract framework that takes all > the meaning out of mathematics. > > In his review of Michael Harris's "Mathematics Without Apologies: > Portrait of a Problematic Vocation" (Princeton University Press, 2015) > Holt writes (The New York Review of Books, 2015--12--03): > > ...Grothendieck made [category theory] sing. Between 1958 and 1970, > he used category theory to create novel structures of unexampled > richness. > Given the first quote, I wonder if Holt is making a subtle dig at Grothendieck here, hinting that he doesn't consider enough examples! I suppose you all know this joke: One striking characteristic of Grothendieck=E2=80=99s mode of thinking is t= hat it > seemed to rely so little on examples. This can be seen in the legend of t= he > so-called =E2=80=9CGrothendieck prime=E2=80=9D. In a mathematical convers= ation, someone > suggested to Grothendieck that they should consider a particular prime > number. =E2=80=9CYou mean an actual number?=E2=80=9D Grothendieck asked. = The other person > replied, yes, an actual prime number. Grothendieck suggested, =E2=80=9CAl= l right, > take 57.=E2=80=9D > http://www.ams.org/notices/200410/fea-grothendieck-part2.pdf Best, jb [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]