A Mathematician's Apology (Canto)
by G.H. Hardy
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 83)
Here's a reason one might want to read this book. In his introduction, C.P. Snow points out that Hardy's capacity for dissimulation "was always minimial." And he goes on to illustrate this with a passage in the Apology where Hardy says, "I do not remember having felt, as a boy, any passion for mathematics, and such notions as I may have had of the career of a mathematician were far from noble. I thought of mathematics in terms of examinations and scholarships; I wanted to...more
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Read in March, 2007
recommended to Jenni by:
Jim Hendrickson, a Calculus professorrecommends it for: People who enjoy reading and despise math
This is something that English-loving people who hate math should read. Hardy was, in his terms, a "pure" (not applied or even "useful") mathematician. This means that he saw his world in terms of math (very complicated math), even though he realized that his world of math does not always represent "reality." In fact, in this work, he comes to think of math in terms of art, since it is made up entirely of human ideas and is open to play and interpretation. He also m...more
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Read in December, 2007
This is undeniably a beautifully written book, essentially an essay in defense of the value of pure mathematics. It's also a poignant and moving piece of autobiography. On the other hand I think it's bad for people to read it who don't have their own strong, fully formed ideas about math. Hardy is of the "the only worthwhile thing is to pursue your talent" school and the "math is a young man's game" school and the "most people are mediocre" school and generally will...more
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Read in July, 2000
I read this a long time ago. Seeing that new book by Leavitt ("The Indian Clerk"), which is apparently based on the relationship between Hardy and his protegé Ramanujan (probably misspelled, sorry) made me remember reading "A Mathematician's Apology" -- a beautiful insight into a very specific mindset. It helps to be in love with a mathematician while you read it, as I was at that time. Intriguing, witty & bittersweet book that truly illuminates a "type" of thi...more
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Read in May, 2008
Hardy's apology itself was great, but the highlight of this edition for me was the forward by CP Snow, who was Hardy's colleague and friend. Sweet without being overly sentimental, Snow's brief bio was the perfect balance of anecdotal storytelling and bare facts. Reading the forward reminded me why I enjoyed Snow's own <i>The Masters</> so much.
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This semi-memoir doesn't contain mathematics, nor is it really about mathematics. It's about the doing of math; or more generally, what it's like to be a first class thinker -- and what it's like after one's abilities have waned. Short, well written, sad, and fascinating.
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This book gave me a lot to think about.
I wonder, though, DO people who are not mathematically inclined see beauty in things like Euclid's proof of infinitely many primes or Pythagoras's proof of the irrationality of the square root of 2?
I wonder, though, DO people who are not mathematically inclined see beauty in things like Euclid's proof of infinitely many primes or Pythagoras's proof of the irrationality of the square root of 2?
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A further exploration in the "process project." And some research for the educational math show I'm directing in October.
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make sure to read the intro! C.P. Snow's introduction is amazing
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Read in March, 2008
helps one to undewrstand the mind of a mathematician
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.11 (83 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.12 (82 ratings) number of reviews: 11popular shelves
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quote
"What is the proper justification of a
mathematician’s life? My answers will be, for the most part, such as are expected from a mathematician: I think that it is worthwhile, that there is ample justification. But I should say at once that my defense of mathematics will be a defense of myself, and that my apology is bound to be to some extent egotistical. I should not think it worth while to apologize for my subject if I regarded myself as one of its failures. Some egotism of this sort is inevitable, and I do not feel that it really needs justification. Good work is no done by "humble" men. It is one of the first duties of a professor, for example, in
any subject, to exaggerate a little both the importance of his subject and his own importance in it. A man who is always asking "Is what I do worth while?" and "Am I the right person to do it?" will always be ineffective himself and a discouragement to others. He must shut his eyes a little and think a little more of his subject and himself than they deserve. This is not too difficult: it is harder not to make his subject and himself ridiculous by shutting his eyes too tightly."
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