Are mathematics a discovery or an invention? Do numbers really exist? What kind of reality do formulas describe? The complexity of mathematics - its abstract rules and enigmatic symbols - can seem far removed from everyday life. There are those things that are supposedly real and present, and then there are mathematical concepts: creations of our mind, mysterious tools for those not engaged with the world. However, from their most distant history and deepest purpose, mathematics has functioned not only as a way of understanding and order but also as a foundation of the reality they describe. In this elegant book, mathematician and philosopher Paolo Zellini offers a brief cultural and intellectual history of mathematics, broadly covering the paradoxes of ancient Greece, the sacred altars of India, Mesopotamian computation, and our modern obsession with algorithms. Masterful and enlightening, Mathematics of the Gods and Algorithms of Men transforms our understanding of mathematical thought, showing that it is inevitably connected with philosophy and religion, as well as with our daily experience of the universe.

Pages: 256, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm