Comment by paulhebert
6 hours ago
Do you really think people dedicate their life to mathematics for clout?
If clout was the goal I don’t think becoming a lifelong mathematics academic would be the first step
6 hours ago
Do you really think people dedicate their life to mathematics for clout?
If clout was the goal I don’t think becoming a lifelong mathematics academic would be the first step
for many fairly strong mathematicians, the career calculus is fame and status (mild though it may be) through mathematics or anonymity but financial reward in tech or finance. Yes, clout by becoming a lifelong academic is in fact rational for some and part of their motivation. Of course they really like what they do as well, but earning the respect of the peers they know are also respected by a large swathe of society is very important.
Yeah that’s totally fair!
I guess that type of “clout” feels different to me.
Wanting to be validated by peers for your talents in a niche field vs. using millions to try to solve a math problem that you don’t really care about with AI to market the gigantic company you work for.
I think you’re right that some of the angst here is due to a fairly insular community having its culture disturbed by commercial forces.