Math: Loss of Certainty: Loss of Certainty

Author: M. Klein
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-07-01
Features: Science, especially natural science, one of the most important goals, is to pursue the driving force of science itself, or to pursue its impetus. At the same time, this spirit of pursuit in science itself becomes a fundamental driving force for social development and human progress. Science always seeks to discover and understand new phenomena of the objective world, study and master new laws, and is always tirelessly pursuing truth. Science is serious, rigorous, and realistic, while at the same time, it is creative. One of the basic attitudes of science is skepticism, and one of the basic spirits of science is criticism. Indeed, science is active, especially the activity of natural science, and compared to other human activities, its basic characteristic is continuous progress. Even when retreating in other aspects, science always advances, even if it is slow and difficult. This shows that the activities of natural science contain human progressive factors. The vast majority of educated people today still believe that mathematics is an unshakable knowledge system about the material world, and mathematical reasoning is infallible. This book refutes this myth. M. Klein points out that today, the universally accepted mathematical concepts no longer exist, in fact, there are many mutually contradictory mathematical concepts. However, when describing and studying natural and social phenomena, the effectiveness of mathematics continues to expand. Why? "Exceptional readability, outstanding personal achievement—he must tell an exciting story, and he tells it very well." The book explores the rise and fall of the dignity of mathematics at a non-professional level, detailing the origins of mathematical truth, the prosperity of mathematical truth, the mathematicization of science, and where mathematics is heading.