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Mathematics as Metaphor
The book includes fifteen essays and an interview. The essays are grouped in three Mathematics; Mathematics and Physics; and Language, Consciousness, and Book reviews. Most of the essays are about some aspects of epistemology and the history of sciences, mainly mathematics, physics, and the history of language. English translations of some of the essays, originally published in Russian, appear for the first time in this selection. One of them is the introduction to the book Computable and Uncomputable, where the idea of a quantum computer was first proposed in 1980. Another is an essay on the mythological trickster figure, where the evolutionary role of manipulative behavior is discussed in connection with the problem of the origin of human language. With the foreword by Freeman Dyson, this book will be of interest to anyone interested in the philosophy and history of mathematics, physics, and linguistics.
232 pages, Hardcover
First published November 21, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 8, 2020
Manin's was (is) interested in everything but it is impossible to learn everything at the same time so he decided to learn everything in turn.
Surely he did not learn everything but he learned a lot which the diversity of studies show in this printed collection.
I came across this collection from a recommendation of Freeman Dyson which deceased 2020 and wrote an excellent foreword.
Surely he did not learn everything but he learned a lot which the diversity of studies show in this printed collection.
I came across this collection from a recommendation of Freeman Dyson which deceased 2020 and wrote an excellent foreword.
June 7, 2020
This is an intriguing book regarding the mathematics, physics and linguistics. The fact that you could connect mathematics with explanatory linguistic usage is a very interest point to me.
As a mathematician/applied data scientist, you not only looking into the world with human readable language but also extra usage of those symbols and their linkage with each other for better operations. Especially the part covers coverage, semantic interpretations are very useful even for my work today: gathering a bridge between human readable and machine readable scenario for automated driving vehicles.
This book will linger for a while at least for me, spot on.
As a mathematician/applied data scientist, you not only looking into the world with human readable language but also extra usage of those symbols and their linkage with each other for better operations. Especially the part covers coverage, semantic interpretations are very useful even for my work today: gathering a bridge between human readable and machine readable scenario for automated driving vehicles.
This book will linger for a while at least for me, spot on.
October 15, 2017
thought-provoking and useful to me
July 21, 2025
Frankly a lot of this book went over my head but that’s okay. If you like books that make you think and discover new connections in ideas - I think this book offers a lot to chew on.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews