I agree. More generally I have often wondered if pure mathematics (and theoretical physics [1]) will reach such a level of abstraction that it becomes impossibl

I agree. More generally I have often wondered if pure mathematics (and theoretical physics [1]) will reach such a level of abstraction that it becomes impossible to digest all the established ideas in order to build on it. The mathematicians attending this workshop have an ability to manipulate extremely abstract concepts that is superior to the vast majority of humans, and even they can't seem to handle this proof. [1] http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gadda001/goodtheorist/index.html http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gadda001/goodtheorist/index....