It sounds like the distinction is between pure and applied mathematics, though the writer says that the battle is within pure mathematics.
I've also read about two other categorizations of mathematicians: active and passive. The active are out trying to prove new theorems while passive mathematicians are trying to collect and generalize past theorems. Finding generalizations also requires new theorems and could be argued to be an active task, but this sounded like a distinction between researcher and educator, and has stuck with me.
I've also read about two other categorizations of mathematicians: active and passive. The active are out trying to prove new theorems while passive mathematicians are trying to collect and generalize past theorems. Finding generalizations also requires new theorems and could be argued to be an active task, but this sounded like a distinction between researcher and educator, and has stuck with me.