Philosophy
Math, unfortunately, is usually taught, and consequently thought of, as a set of cold, bloodless tools to solve practical and theoretical problems that are somehow removed from real lived experience.
However, the truth of the matter is that math has a fascinating and mesmerizing life of its own, and those who have really confronted its secrets have found it to be a source of love, respect, admiration, inspiration, despair, confusion and wonder. Whatever else it may be, math is not boring... not if you actually pay attention.
In the following set of short documentaries, which you should definitely share with your mathophobe friends, Professor Marcus du Sautoy explores the lives, the insights, the contributions and the influence of some of history's greatest mathematicians.
Newton and Leibniz:
Leonard Euler:
Joseph Fourier:
Evariste Galois:
Carl Friedrich Gauss:
The Mathematicians who helped Einstein:
Georg Cantor:
Henri Poincare:
Hardy and Ramanujan:
Nicolas Bourbaki:
What other mathematicians would you have included in this list?
And for a touching and fascinating biography/tribute to Cantor, don't forget to check out the spectacular documentary Dangerous Knowledge.
- Modern Mencken
Tomorrow is Mencken day at the Enoch Pratt Library, honoring one of the great intellects of Baltimore. Who would be the modern day version of H.L. Mencken? Is there a writer who is smart, ascerbic, conservative, and wry? P.J. O'Rourke? ...
- The Nature Of Genius
What does it mean for one to be a genius? Is genius just the upper end of the really smart continuum? Is there a difference between genius and really, really, really, smart? Is it a difference of kind or degree? Is genius a matter of...
- Can You Really Own A Position?
I've been thinking about the use of the verb to own with respect to an intellectual view. When a student is being wishy-washy about a proposition he or she is arguing for and clearly believes, I'll tell the student to "own the position." ...
- Group E-mail Vs. Spam
Is there a difference between sending an e-mail to a group of people and spam? Is the difference based on the number of people contacted? If so, where is the dividing line between contacting a bunch of folks and sending spam? Or is it...
- Historians, Archaeologists, And Scientists
Are historians scientists? They frame hypotheses about the causes and effects of real events and use empirical evidence to support their accounts. But they don't do not look for regularities to make into laws; to the contrary, they account...
Philosophy
A Brief History of Mathematical Geniuses
However, the truth of the matter is that math has a fascinating and mesmerizing life of its own, and those who have really confronted its secrets have found it to be a source of love, respect, admiration, inspiration, despair, confusion and wonder. Whatever else it may be, math is not boring... not if you actually pay attention.
In the following set of short documentaries, which you should definitely share with your mathophobe friends, Professor Marcus du Sautoy explores the lives, the insights, the contributions and the influence of some of history's greatest mathematicians.
Newton and Leibniz:
Leonard Euler:
Joseph Fourier:
Evariste Galois:
Carl Friedrich Gauss:
The Mathematicians who helped Einstein:
Georg Cantor:
Henri Poincare:
Hardy and Ramanujan:
Nicolas Bourbaki:
What other mathematicians would you have included in this list?
And for a touching and fascinating biography/tribute to Cantor, don't forget to check out the spectacular documentary Dangerous Knowledge.
- Modern Mencken
Tomorrow is Mencken day at the Enoch Pratt Library, honoring one of the great intellects of Baltimore. Who would be the modern day version of H.L. Mencken? Is there a writer who is smart, ascerbic, conservative, and wry? P.J. O'Rourke? ...
- The Nature Of Genius
What does it mean for one to be a genius? Is genius just the upper end of the really smart continuum? Is there a difference between genius and really, really, really, smart? Is it a difference of kind or degree? Is genius a matter of...
- Can You Really Own A Position?
I've been thinking about the use of the verb to own with respect to an intellectual view. When a student is being wishy-washy about a proposition he or she is arguing for and clearly believes, I'll tell the student to "own the position." ...
- Group E-mail Vs. Spam
Is there a difference between sending an e-mail to a group of people and spam? Is the difference based on the number of people contacted? If so, where is the dividing line between contacting a bunch of folks and sending spam? Or is it...
- Historians, Archaeologists, And Scientists
Are historians scientists? They frame hypotheses about the causes and effects of real events and use empirical evidence to support their accounts. But they don't do not look for regularities to make into laws; to the contrary, they account...