Fast math/slow math

[This is a guest post by Ben Antieau, crossposted from his blog. This blog post was initially written in a different file format and converted using AI. — T.] To resolve a central tension in the practice of mathematics by academics, I suggest the parallel with fast food and its attendant slow food movement. Three hearts Mathematical work comprises many activities and experiences. Among my favorites are: Reading a single paper over the course of several months. The thrill of the chase, when the scent of a theorem, discovery, or the right definition is in the air. The moment a PhD student shows me their first theorem or paper. The first and second constitute gaining and creating knowledge. The third is about transmitting meta-knowledge: the ability to perform 1 and 2. Mathematics for me has always been about the joy of personal understanding and the engagement in bringing others around to that understanding, usually slowly over the course of many months or years. In recent months, a…