if mathematics is to stay as a whole and not become a pile of little bits of research, to provide a unification, which absorbs in some simple and general theories all the common substrata of the diverse branches if the science, suppressing what is not so useful and necessary, and leaving intact what is truly the specific detail of each big problem. This is the good one can achieve with axiomatics (and this is no small achievement). This is what Bourbaki is up to." - Meaning and context.">
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as translated by Martin H. Krieger "A 1940 letter of André Weil on analogy in mathematics." Notices of the AMS 52, no. 3 (2005) pp. 334–341, quote on p. 341
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It is hard for you to appreciate that modern mathematics has become so extensive and so complex that it is essential, if mathematics is to stay as a whole and not become a pile of little bits of research, to provide a unification, which absorbs in some simple and general theories all the common substrata of the diverse branches if the science, suppressing what is not so useful and necessary, and leaving intact what is truly the specific detail of each big problem. This is the good one can achieve with axiomatics (and this is no small achievement). This is what Bourbaki is up to.

— André Weil

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It is hard for you to appreciate that modern mathematics has become so extensive and so complex that it is essential, if mathematics is to stay as a whole and not become a pile of little bits of research, to provide a unification, which absorbs in some simple and general theories all the common substrata of the diverse branches if the science, suppressing what is not so useful and necessary, and leaving intact what is truly the specific detail of each big problem. This is the good one can achieve with axiomatics (and this is no small achievement). This is what Bourbaki is up to." in the context of "as translated by Martin H. Krieger "A 1940 letter of André Weil on analogy in mathematics." Notices of the AMS 52, no. 3 (2005) pp. 334–341, quote on p. 341" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "André Weil" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#André Weil#what#mathematics#become#unification#suppressing#achievement#appreciate#axiomatics#extensive#essential#substrata
André Weil

About André Weil

André Weil (6 May 1906 – 6 August 1998) was one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century, whether measured by his research work, its influence on future work, exposition or breadth. He is known for his foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry. He was a founding member, and de facto the early leader, of the influential Bourbaki group. The philosopher Simone Weil was his sister.