History of Math

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Comment by Laura Gibbs on June 27, 2009 at 10:50am

Hi Ian, I totally understand - if I were someone with an interest in Platonic philosophy, I'm sure I would find this book to be quite compelling, but it's not working for me, except as a catalyst, and as a catalyst, it's been super, prompting me to read a couple of books I've had on my shelf for a long time - esp. a textbook, History of Mathematics by David Burton, which is so much fun. It's based on doing exercises that reflect the different kinds of math activity people were engaged in over time, using the tools and ideas available to them at the time - very cool! :-)

Comment by Ian Carmichael on June 27, 2009 at 8:36am

I admit defeat.
I admire your persistence, Laura and Barry. I thought I'd keep going but the more I've explored, the less I've wanted to know about what Klein wished to adumbrate. I've even cheated by skimming to the end, and am still little wiser about how this understanding of mathematical history shows how indissolubly linked modern science (physics) is to mathematics. [Which was one of Klein's explicit concerns that I drew attention to early on.] So, I'll be interested to see how the reading goes (from afar), but I'm past the point of ensuring that I finish every book I start. But this one and I are on divergent paths. I used to be fastidious in completing any book I began, but time presses, and in a rich and varied world, I'm now content to make other choices.
I think I'll turn my attention to light, or to the library at night...