changes to the Preface of the book

[Steve Awodey]

Dear All,

Thanks to all of you who have recently given me input on the important matter of the Preface to the book. There has been considerable discussion behind the scenes recently about how to appropriately recognize the contributions of various individuals, while doing justice to the "extraordinary collaborative spirit" of the special year in general, and the book project in particular, that we all value so highly. One thing that really struck me in gathering opinions was the view expressed by the some of the most junior members of our group -- those who were singled out as having contributed most, and who potentially had the most to gain (since they are not yet settled) -- it was they who urged me most strongly to eliminate any trace of individual recognition if it could be a source of tension. Unfortunately, it in fact has been, and I have taken their wise advice.

The other revision that has been made -- again after much deliberation and consultation -- was to distinguish the description of the Special Year from that of the project of the Book. Although these are obviously closely related, they are not identical (and so not even equivalent). The resulting identification of the members, student participants, and visitors of the Special Year is an objective fact, not subject to a slippery slope or fuzzy dividing line. It is also a meaningful distinction that should be stated: the participants applied and planned well in advance, were selected by the faculty, bore the risks and in some cases the costs and hardships, put in the time, and they deserve to be recognized. On the other hand, everyone involved in the Special Year contributed in some way, directly or indirectly, to the Book, and that should be said as well.

I'm sure this (hopefully final) formulation won't please everyone as much as some particular variant might -- the obvious problem is that the preferred variant is not the same for each individual. I hope to have found a compromise formulation that is in the same spirit as the one that has animated the rest of this project.

Best univalent regards,

Steve

[Daniel R. Grayson]

Re: "We did not set out to write a book." 

Hmm, I thought that was the original plan that Peter Aczel proposed.  Of course, my memory is growing dim...

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