A few months ago, I stumbled upon an antique store in Paris where the owner had thousands of notes taken from Grothendieck's house after he died. Apparently he was in charge of appraising them. Which is pretty stunning since Grothendieck didn't publish anything for the last few decades of his life, so it's quite possible there's new math there.
Anyways the guy described how Grothendieck's house didn't have a roof and was pretty decrepit. Which made me pretty sad. One of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century dying alone in a house with no roof. Part of me wonders if maybe, had he gotten proper mental health care, Grothendieck could have enjoyed a longer, more healthy career. Or career aside, could he have just had a better life? In the mathematical community it feels like there's a bit of an acceptance of idiosyncrasies bordering on potential mental health issues. Well I say acceptance but really it's bordering on willful ignorance. How many advisors give their doctoral students advice on mental health? How many advisors themselves received training on mental health? It's worth analyzing.
Anyways the guy described how Grothendieck's house didn't have a roof and was pretty decrepit. Which made me pretty sad. One of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century dying alone in a house with no roof. Part of me wonders if maybe, had he gotten proper mental health care, Grothendieck could have enjoyed a longer, more healthy career. Or career aside, could he have just had a better life? In the mathematical community it feels like there's a bit of an acceptance of idiosyncrasies bordering on potential mental health issues. Well I say acceptance but really it's bordering on willful ignorance. How many advisors give their doctoral students advice on mental health? How many advisors themselves received training on mental health? It's worth analyzing.