Eh? I thought this was the main thrust of the argument: Mathematics has in fact always prized conceptual advancement and understanding over proof, despite presenting itself internally and externally as rewarding the latter. The author calls what he’s proposing “rebranding a plurimillenial project”.
The proposal needs to be larger, to education itself in all subjects. We are manufacturing too many specialist parrots without critical analysis. We need to teach how to discuss controversy and manage disagreements, and then we can start making progress.