Summary
G.H. Hardy argues that mathematics is "very much more than a science," a perspective he developed as his mathematical powers declined. This "apology" presents a personal account of the fascination of mathematics, framed by the experience of a creative artist. Hardy, considered "the purest of the pure" by his contemporaries, offers insights into his motivations and the nature of mathematical creation.
The book highlights Hardy's identity as an "unorthodox, eccentric, radical" thinker. It also includes anecdotes about his collaboration with the mathematician Ramanujan, his aphorisms, and his personal interests like cricket. The overview suggests that readers gain an understanding of the allure of mathematics from the viewpoint of one of its most significant modern figures.
Key concepts
- Real mathematician — A descriptor for mathematicians seen as pure and dedicated to the essence of the field.
- Creative artist — A comparison used to explain the experience and nature of mathematical work.
- Ramanujan — A specific collaborator whose work is discussed in relation to Hardy's mathematical life.
From the book
Description: G. H. Hardy was one of this century's finest mathematical thinkers, renowned among his contemporaries as a 'real mathematician … the purest of the pure'. He was also (as C. P. Snow recounts in his Foreword to the 1967 edition) 'unorthodox, eccentric, radical, ready to talk about anything'. This 'apology', written in 1940 as his mathematical powers were declining, offers a brilliant and engaging account of mathematics as very much more than a science; when it was first published, Graham Greene hailed it alongside Henry James's notebooks as 'the best account of what it was like to be a creative artist'.
C. P. Snow's Foreword gives sympathetic and witty insights into Hardy's life, with its rich store of anecdotes concerning his collaboration with the brilliant Indian mathematician Ramanujan, his aphorisms and idiosyncrasies, and his passion for cricket. This is a unique account of the fascination of mathematics and of one of its most compelling exponents in modern times.
Description: G. H. Hardy was one of this century's finest mathematical thinkers, renowned among his contemporaries as a 'real mathematician ... the purest of the pure'. He was also, as C. P. Snow recounts in his Foreword, 'unorthodox, eccentric, radical, ready to talk about anything'. This 'apology', written in 1940 as his mathematical powers were declining, offers a brilliant and engaging account of mathematics as very much more than a science; when it was first published, Graham Greene hailed it alongside Henry James's notebooks as 'the best account of what it was like to be a creative artist'. C. P. Snow's Foreword gives sympathetic and witty insights into Hardy's life, with its rich store of anecdotes concerning his collaboration with the brilliant Indian mathematician Ramanujan, his…