Mathematics

General discussion session

Michael Wright chairs a discussion with conference attendees about ideals apparent in Grothendieck’s work, including geometry, logic, and the philosophy of generalisation.

Generality versus unity in geometry: some Grothendieckian themes

McLarty considers the difference between introducing new abstract concepts that generalise old ones, and discarding irrelevant, obfuscating assumptions in order to clarify or unify topics. In particular, he focuses on the latter motivation of Grothendieck and Noether.