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The Great Math War
How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of Mathematics
Description
A "fascinating romp" (Johnjoe McFadden) and stirring account of the mathematicians who went looking for the bedrock philosophical foundations of their field and witnessed a house of cards collapse instead
As the nineteenth century ended, mathematicians were celebrating a century of triumphs that—surprisingly—made clear how little they knew: What is the nature of infinity? Is math free from self-contradiction? And what does math have to do with reality? This was the Foundational Crisis in mathematics.
In The Great Math War, Jason Socrates Bardi tells the story of three competing efforts by mathematicians to resolve it—and the firefight that ensued. Bertrand Russell thought we could achieve certainty if we treated math as an extension of logic. David Hilbert believed redemption lay in accepting mathematics as a formal game of arbitrary rules, no different from the moves and pieces in chess. And L. E. J. Brouwer argued math is entirely rooted in human intuition—and that math is not based on logic but rather logic is based on math. It was a bitter struggle, intellectually and personally, as the three vied to set the course for mathematics in the twentieth century.
Set against the backdrop of international warfare unfolding alongside it, The Great Math War brings the Foundational Crisis to radiant life—and shows how it indelibly shaped twentieth-century intellectual life.
As the nineteenth century ended, mathematicians were celebrating a century of triumphs that—surprisingly—made clear how little they knew: What is the nature of infinity? Is math free from self-contradiction? And what does math have to do with reality? This was the Foundational Crisis in mathematics.
In The Great Math War, Jason Socrates Bardi tells the story of three competing efforts by mathematicians to resolve it—and the firefight that ensued. Bertrand Russell thought we could achieve certainty if we treated math as an extension of logic. David Hilbert believed redemption lay in accepting mathematics as a formal game of arbitrary rules, no different from the moves and pieces in chess. And L. E. J. Brouwer argued math is entirely rooted in human intuition—and that math is not based on logic but rather logic is based on math. It was a bitter struggle, intellectually and personally, as the three vied to set the course for mathematics in the twentieth century.
Set against the backdrop of international warfare unfolding alongside it, The Great Math War brings the Foundational Crisis to radiant life—and shows how it indelibly shaped twentieth-century intellectual life.
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Praise
"Bardi’s The Great Math War provides a fascinating romp through one of the most consequential conflicts of the early 20th century, fought, not on the battlefield but within the ivory tower of mathematical theory. Its outcome helped to shape our world."
—Johnjoe McFadden, author of Life on the Edge
“Is Bardi’s The Great Math War a history of early 20th century mathematics, or a cultural history of the early 20th century, or an intellectual biography of three brilliant minds – David Hilbert, Bertie Russell, and L. E. J. Brouwer? Similarly to a fairy tale, Bardi’s book operates on multiple levels and will be an inspiration to a wide range of readers. You will see the early 20th century in a new way – zaniness, aesthetic innovation, and utopic vision suffused it, painted so wonderfully by Bardi. Although this world brims with books, and while this is a well-researched chapter in the history of mathematics and in culture at large, Bardi’s book is a gem. It surprises, is beautifully written, and enlivens difficult and even odd material in a ‘show don’t tell’ manner. Sit down comfortably and get ready for a lovely and entertaining intellectual and historical ride.”
—Rasmus Winther, University of California, Santa Cruz and University of Copenhagen
“The Great Math War reads like one long, revelatory conversation with a brilliant friend, as Jason Bardi leads us through the story of how the greatest minds of the modern age slugged it out over the foundations of mathematics and so reality, against a background of passion, ambition, treachery and war.”
—Edward Wilson-Lee, author of The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books