{"product_id":"the-great-math-war-how-three-brilliant-minds-fought-for-the-foundations-of-mathematics-9781541605008","title":"The Great Math War: How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of Mathematics","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \"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 \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Great Math War, \u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Set against the backdrop of international warfare unfolding alongside it, \u003ci\u003eThe Great Math War \u003c\/i\u003ebrings the Foundational Crisis to radiant life--and shows how it indelibly shaped twentieth-century intellectual life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJason Socrates Bardi \u003c\/b\u003eis an award-winning journalist in DC who has written two books about the history of math: The Calculus Wars and The Fifth Postulate. He has published hundreds of articles about modern science and medicine in outlets including the \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGood Morning America\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUS News \u0026amp; World Report\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Lancet\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51690809360658,"sku":"9781541605008","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dedb2510-edba-4b3c-b624-95e1a5ca4e06.jpg?v=1761748417","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-great-math-war-how-three-brilliant-minds-fought-for-the-foundations-of-mathematics-9781541605008","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}