Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Logic and Math Paperback - 2006
by Joseph Mazur
Like Douglas Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach, and David Berlinski's A Tour of the Calculus, Euclid in the Rainforest combines the literary with the mathematical to explore logic the one indispensable tool in man's quest to understand the world. Underpinning both math and science, it is the foundation of every major advancement in knowledge since the time of the ancient Greeks. Through adventure stories and historical narratives populated with a rich and quirky cast of characters, Mazur artfully reveals the less-than-airtight nature of logic and the muddled relationship between math and the real world. Ultimately, Mazur argues, logical reasoning is not purely robotic. At its most basic level, it is a creative process guided by our intuitions and beliefs about the world.
Summary
Like Douglas Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach, and David Berlinski’s A Tour of the Calculus, Euclid in the Rainforest combines the literary with the mathematical to explore
logic—the one indispensable tool in man’s quest to understand the world. Underpinning both math and science, it is the foundation of every major advancement in knowledge since the time of the ancient Greeks. Through adventure stories and historical narratives populated with a rich and quirky cast of characters, Mazur artfully reveals the less-than-airtight nature of logic and the muddled relationship between math and the real world. Ultimately, Mazur argues, logical reasoning is not purely robotic. At its most basic level, it is a creative process guided by our intuitions and beliefs about the world.
First line
The mix of fragrances from blooming yucca, violets, red jasmine, and frangipani carried on the vapors of rising mists above the humid Orinoco River are intoxicating.
Details
- Title Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Logic and Math
- Author Joseph Mazur
- Binding Paperback
- Pages 352
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Plume Books, New York
- Date July 25, 2006
- Illustrated Yes
- ISBN 9780452287839 / 0452287839
- Weight 0.9 lbs (0.41 kg)
- Dimensions 8.1 x 5.5 x 1 in (20.57 x 13.97 x 2.54 cm)
- Ages 18 to UP years
- Grade levels 13 - UP
- Library of Congress subjects Logic, Symbolic and mathematical, Mathematics - Philosophy
- Dewey Decimal Code 511.3
Media reviews
“Joseph Mazur brilliantly explores the symbiotic relationship between the physical and the mathematical worlds…A stylish and seductive book that convinces the mind even as it delights the soul.” —PEN American Center
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