Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed; delsp=yes To: "Marta Bunge" <martabunge@hotmail.com>, categories@mta.ca, "Tom Hirschowitz" <tom.hirschowitz@univ-savoie.fr> Subject: Re: Publicity References: <E1UiTcE-000296-Qy@mlist.mta.ca> Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:40:34 +0300 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-Printable From: "Revence Kalibwani" <revence@1st.ug> Message-ID: <op.wylt5wui52s4kz@fardeau.ds.co.ug> In-Reply-To: <E1Umw4g-00036s-IV@mlist.mta.ca> Speaking as one who hated mathematics consistently in school, and then = came to be deeply intrigued by category theory (because I have a = probably-pathological obsession with corollaries), I am forced to concur= = with Tom. I=E2=80=99ll never be a professional mathematician, but someth= ing about = basic category theory just sounds so human. Analogies, homologies, = similarities, memories =E2=80=A6 these are the things our minds process = every time = we look at a face, and category theory says =E2=80=9CI can help you draw= a bunch = of squiggly stuff for that.=E2=80=9D What=E2=80=99s not to love? =CE=A4=CE=B7=CE=BD Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:40:33 +0300,=CE=BF(=CE=B7) Tom Hi= rschowitz = <tom.hirschowitz@univ-savoie.fr> =CE=AD=CE=B3=CF=81=CE=B1=CF=88=CE=B5:

Dear Marta,

Thanks very much for your detailed answer.

First, I agree with you that it is wrong to equate category theory wit= h logic and computation. I don't know whose mistake this is, but it certainly is one.

However, it seems to me that people may be led to category theory, or more generally any interesting subject matter, for bad reasons --- and=

that this is sometimes good. (*)

Category-land, as Jean B?nabou calls it, may look like a fortress from=

the outside. So maybe we should be softer towards people trying to mak= e it look attractive and open.

What do you think?

Best wishes, Tom

(*) It was John Baez, `making a fool of himself' as usual, who made me=

think I could enter the fortress back in 2006. I'll probably never be = as fluent as native category theorists, but I nevertheless think my research has improved since then.

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