Once upon a time, there was a number (mathematical logic in the story)

Author: (American) Paulos, translated by Shi Shu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The original version of this book was a bestseller in the Western science popularization genre and had a significant impact. Unlike typical science popularization books, it has a unique and effortless writing style. In the sense of Snow's "Two Cultures," the book bridges the gap between scientific culture and literary culture. People often imagine numbers as abstract, definite, eternal, and dull, while good stories are full of vitality, subtlety, and lingering charm but not strictly rigorous. However, this book points out that stories and numbers are not as different as you might think—they have surprising and engaging connections. In fact, many important concepts in the history of mathematics, such as logic and probability, evolved from intuitive ideas in storytelling, and the same applies to recent theories like catastrophe theory and complexity theory. To help readers understand these outstanding ideas, the author weaves throughout the book many layered, thought-provoking jokes, fables, religious anecdotes, and interesting dialogues.