- on one corner mathematics must be doable alone, by a single human mind; almost by definition of "being mathematics"
- on the other corner we have this article's stance. to never (e.g.) create a novel all on your own?
consider a work of literature. should we strive to avoid single-authorship? but then my point is that we would lose something. something core to the individual experience and something (possibly) core to the mathematical discipline?
but specifically in the case of maths, would we?
Create a novel on your own? Go for it. (Though even there, other people can contribute interesting suggestions.) But then, if you're going to publish it, you're going to run it through an editor...
It's also right to point out that mathematics can be done in solitude — but in my experience, that solitude is anything but passive. It takes a kind of disciplined internal dialogue—working through examples, forming your own structures, asking endless questions. (I quite like the way Paul Halmos puts this: “Don’t just read it; fight it.”)
