Remy Rose reviewed The Mathematical Experience by Philip J. Davis
Review of 'The Mathematical Experience' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
All in all, I'd say this is worth reading, although with some reservations. I can't complain too much, since I found it in the trash. It does a pretty great job introducing historical figures. Also, there are plenty of neat puzzles and proofs, if you can follow them.
Here are my nitpicks:
It definitely feels a bit dated, for one thing.
The authors suffer terribly from the curse of knowledge; they obviously have no idea what is meant by "general reader".
It is far too polemical. The authors get less and less objective as it goes on, vis a vis Platonism vs Formalism, as well as religion.
Ultimately, I recommend flipping through and only reading what interests you. It is quite fortunately written so as to make that possible.
All in all, I'd say this is worth reading, although with some reservations. I can't complain too much, since I found it in the trash. It does a pretty great job introducing historical figures. Also, there are plenty of neat puzzles and proofs, if you can follow them.
Here are my nitpicks:
It definitely feels a bit dated, for one thing.
The authors suffer terribly from the curse of knowledge; they obviously have no idea what is meant by "general reader".
It is far too polemical. The authors get less and less objective as it goes on, vis a vis Platonism vs Formalism, as well as religion.
Ultimately, I recommend flipping through and only reading what interests you. It is quite fortunately written so as to make that possible.