If we're going to be frank about it, higher level math is:
1) Intellectually challenging, to such a degree that those wishing to enter the field need to have a certain level of intellectual prowess to do so. This creates some levels of mystique, with a sprinkle of elitism and gatekeeping.
2) Driven (among other things) by prestige. And the more pure the math is, the more prestigious it is.
3) So complex that people can spend their entire working careers chasing a handful of problems. The amount of time researchers spend on very specific problems is mind-boggling, if we think about the results.
4) Intensely captivating for the people deep in the weeds.
And the deeper you get, the longer you study, the more you start to value things like "mathematical beauty", and may start to view math as a form of art.
Like many similar fields, you end up with this ivory tower where people can dedicate their whole lives to thinking deeply about extremely niche and theoretical problems.
1) Intellectually challenging, to such a degree that those wishing to enter the field need to have a certain level of intellectual prowess to do so. This creates some levels of mystique, with a sprinkle of elitism and gatekeeping.
2) Driven (among other things) by prestige. And the more pure the math is, the more prestigious it is.
3) So complex that people can spend their entire working careers chasing a handful of problems. The amount of time researchers spend on very specific problems is mind-boggling, if we think about the results.
4) Intensely captivating for the people deep in the weeds.
And the deeper you get, the longer you study, the more you start to value things like "mathematical beauty", and may start to view math as a form of art.
Like many similar fields, you end up with this ivory tower where people can dedicate their whole lives to thinking deeply about extremely niche and theoretical problems.