A great article by Chris Olah & Shan Carter on the Distill platform, on the concept of research debt.
Achieving a research-level understanding of most topics is like
climbing a mountain. Aspiring researchers must struggle to understand
vast bodies of work that came before them, to learn techniques, and to
gain intuition. Upon reaching the top, the new researcher begins doing
novel work, throwing new stones onto the top of the mountain and making
it a little taller for whoever comes next.
Mathematics is a striking example of this. For centuries,
countless minds have climbed the mountain range of mathematics and laid
new boulders at the top. Over time, different peaks formed, built on top
of particularly beautiful results. Now the peaks of mathematics are so
numerous and steep that no person can climb them all. Even with a
lifetime of dedicated effort, a mathematician may only enjoy some of
their vistas.
People expect the climb to be hard. It reflects the tremendous
progress and cumulative effort that’s gone into mathematics. The climb
is seen as an intellectual pilgrimage, the labor a rite of passage. But
the climb could be massively easier. It’s entirely possible to build
paths and staircases into these mountains. The climb isn’t something to be proud of.
The climb isn’t progress: the climb is a mountain of debt.
Image and quoted text from Olah & Carter, "Research Debt", Distill, 2017.
http://doi.org/10.23915/distill.00005.