An exploration of the hidden human, emotional, and social dimensions
of mathematics
Mathematics is often thought of as the coldest expression of pure
reason. But few subjects provoke hotter emotions--and inspire more love
and hatred--than mathematics. And although math is frequently idealized
as floating above the messiness of human life, its story is nothing if
not human; often, it is all too human. Loving and Hating Mathematics
is about the hidden human, emotional, and social forces that shape
mathematics and affect the experiences of students and mathematicians.
Written in a lively, accessible style, and filled with gripping stories
and anecdotes, Loving and Hating Mathematics brings home the intense
pleasures and pains of mathematical life.
These stories challenge many myths, including the notions that
mathematics is a solitary pursuit and a "young man's game," the belief
that mathematicians are emotionally different from other people, and
even the idea that to be a great mathematician it helps to be a little
bit crazy. Reuben Hersh and Vera John-Steiner tell stories of lives in
math from their very beginnings through old age, including accounts of
teaching and mentoring, friendships and rivalries, love affairs and
marriages, and the experiences of women and minorities in a field that
has traditionally been unfriendly to both. Included here are also
stories of people for whom mathematics has been an immense solace during
times of crisis, war, and even imprisonment--as well as of those rare
individuals driven to insanity and even murder by an obsession with
math.
This is a book for anyone who wants to understand why the most rational
of human endeavors is at the same time one of the most emotional.
