Why I didn’t sign the Fields medallists’ letter

When Timothy Gowers was around 11 years old, he first heard about Fermat's Last Theorem. Intrigued by the problem statement and the story surrounding it, he made a serious attempt to prove it, even though he ultimately failed. This experience taught him a great deal about the problem and the mathematical concepts involved. However, he was unaware that the case had already been proven by Euler over 200 years earlier.

Inspired by the Fields medallists' letter about the importance of learning from attempting to solve problems, Gowers decided not to sign the letter, despite agreeing with much of its message. Instead, he chose to articulate his own perspective through a blog post. While Gowers acknowledges the urgency of the crisis in mathematics, he believes that the primary goal should be conceptual understanding and insight, rather than merely solving problems.

He emphasizes that there is a spectrum of attitudes in mathematics, ranging from those primarily motivated by problem-solving to those who prioritize conceptual understanding.