What do pure mathematicians do, and why do they do it? Looking beyond the conventional answers—for the sake of truth, beauty, and practical applications—this book offers an eclectic panorama of the lives and values and hopes and fears of mathematicians in the twenty-first century, assembling material from a startlingly diverse assortment of scholarly, journalistic, and pop culture sources.Drawing on his personal experiences and obsessions as well as the thoughts and opinions of mathematicians from Archimedes and Omar Khayyám to such contemporary giants as Alexander Grothendieck and Robert Langlands, Michael Harris reveals the charisma and romance of mathematics as well as its darker side. In this portrait of mathematics as a community united around a set of common intellectual, ethical, and existential challenges, he touches on a wide variety of questions, such as: Are mathematicians to blame for the 2008 financial crisis? How can we talk about the ideas we were born too soon to understand? And how should you react if you are asked to explain number theory at a dinner party?Disarmingly candid, relentlessly intelligent, and richly entertaining, Mathematics without Apologies takes readers on an unapologetic guided tour of the mathematical life, from the philosophy and sociology of mathematics to its reflections in film and popular music, with detours through the mathematical and mystical traditions of Russia, India, medieval Islam, the Bronx, and beyond.

Harris, Michael, 1954- author

Princeton University, Department of Art & Archaeology

First Printing, First Edition, PT, 2015

United States, United States of America

Princeton, New Jersey, 2015

Princeton (NJ), [etc, 2015

Illustrated, 2015

Includes bibliographical references (pages [327]-421) and indexes.
Text in English.

An insightful reflection on the mathematical soul
What do pure mathematicians do, and why do they do it? Looking beyond the conventional answersfor the sake of truth, beauty, and practical applicationsthis book offers an eclectic panorama of the lives and values and hopes and fears of mathematicians in the twenty-first century, assembling material from a startlingly diverse assortment of scholarly, journalistic, and pop culture sources.
Drawing on his personal experiences and obsessions as well as the thoughts and opinions of mathematicians from Archimedes and Omar Khayym to such contemporary giants as Alexander Grothendieck and Robert Langlands, Michael Harris reveals the charisma and romance of mathematics as well as its darker side. In this portrait of mathematics as a community united around a set of common intellectual, ethical, and existential challenges, he touches on a wide variety of questions, such Are mathematicians to blame for the 2008 financial crisis? How can we talk about the ideas we were born too soon to understand? And how should you react if you are asked to explain number theory at a dinner party?
Disarmingly candid, relentlessly intelligent, and richly entertaining, Mathematics without Apologies takes readers on an unapologetic guided tour of the mathematical life, from the philosophy and sociology of mathematics to its reflections in film and popular music, with detours through the mathematical and mystical traditions of Russia, India, medieval Islam, the Bronx, and beyond.

What Do Pure Mathematicians Do, And Why Do They Do It? Looking Beyond The Conventional Answers--for The Sake Of Truth, Beauty, And Practical Applications--this Book Offers An Eclectic Panorama Of The Lives And Values And Hopes And Fears Of Mathematicians In The Twenty-first Century, Assembling Material From A Startlingly Diverse Assortment Of Scholarly, Journalistic, And Pop Culture Sources. Introduction : The Veil -- How I Acquired Charisma -- Not Merely Good, True, And Beautiful -- Megaloprepeia -- An Automorphic Reading Of Thomas Pynchon's Against The Day (interrupted By Elliptical Reflections On Mason & Dixon) -- Further Investigations Of The Mind-body Problem -- The Habit Of Clinging To An Ultimate Ground -- The Science Of Tricks -- A Mathematical Dream And Its Interpretation -- No Apologies -- Afterword : The Veil Of Maya. Michael Harris. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [[397]-421) And Indexes.

xxii, 438 pages : 25 cm
What do pure mathematicians do, and why do they do it? Looking beyond the conventional answers--for the sake of truth, beauty, and practical applications--this book offers an eclectic panorama of the lives and values and hopes and fears of mathematicians in the twenty-first century, assembling material from a startlingly diverse assortment of scholarly, journalistic, and pop culture sources.--
Includes bibliographical references (pages 397-421) and indexes

2023-06-28