Musings of the Masters

An Anthology of Miscellaneous Reflections

Raymond G. Ayoub

294 pages, parution le 07/12/2005

Ajouter à une liste

Indisponible

Résumé

The anthology is a collection of articles contiguous to the humanities written by renowned mathematicians of the 20th Century. The articles cover a variety of topics that, for want of a better name, shall be referred to as "humanistic." An important criterion, thereby limiting the choice, is that the articles should be accessible to the literate reader who may or may not have technical knowledge of mathematics.

The articles span roughly a century in time and a wide range in subject. They are by mathematicians acknowledged by their peers as outstanding creators whose work has added richly to the discipline. Each article is preceded by a brief biographical sketch of the author and a brief indication of the content. In many articles there is a common theme-the attempt to define the role of intuition in mathematical activities. Intuition as contrasted with pure formalism can be briefly, if too simply, described by asking whether mathematics is invented or discovered.

One object of the anthology is to open to the reader some of the thoughts and speculations of noted mathematicians often discoursing on subjects outside the strict confines of mathematics. It is a way of revealing the humanistic aspects of a subject that has occupied the attention of humanity from the dawn of time. The material is accessible to a wide audience, lay as well as academic.

Sommaire

Part I: Mathematics and the Intellect
- Mathematics and Thinking Mathematically, Mary Cartwright
- Mathematical Invention, Henri Poincare
- Thoughts on the Heuristic Method, Jacque Hadamard
- Mathematical Proof, G.H. Hardy
- The Unity of Knowledge, Hermann Weyl
Part II: Mathematics and Human Understanding
- Mathematics and the Arts, Marston Morse
- Intuition, Reason and Faith in Science, George David Birkhoff
- Logic and the Understanding of Nature, David Hilbert
- The Cultural Basis of Mathematics, Raymond Wilder
Part III: Mathematics and Society
- Presidential Address to the British Association, J.J. Sylvester
- The Mathematician, John von Neumann
- The Community of Scholars, Andre Lichnerowicz
- History of Mathematics: Why and How, Andre Weil
Part IV: Miscellaneous
- Does God Exist?, Paul Levy
- Goethe and Mathematics, Wilhelm Maak
- Leonardo and Mathematics, Francesco Seceri
- The Highest Good, Norbert Wiener

Voir tout

Replier

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	The Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
Auteur(s)	Raymond G. Ayoub
Parution	07/12/2005
Nb. de pages	294
Format	16 x 23,5
Couverture	Broché
Poids	550g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780883855492
ISBN13	978-0-88385-549-2