{"product_id":"great-math-war-how-three-brilliant-minds-fought-for-the-foundations-of-mathematics","title":"Great Math War: How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of Mathematics","description":"\u003cb\u003eA stirring account of the mathematicians who went looking for the bedrock philosophical foundations of their field and witnessed a house of cards collapse instead \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A fascinating romp through one of the most consequential conflicts of the early 20th century.\"--Johnjoe McFadden, author of\u003ci\u003e Life on the Edge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As the nineteenth century ended, mathematicians were celebrating a century of triumphs that--surprisingly--made clear how little they knew: What is the nature of infinity? Is math free from self-contradiction? And what does math have to do with reality? This was the Foundational Crisis in mathematics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Great Math War, \u003c\/i\u003e Jason Socrates Bardi tells the story of three competing efforts by mathematicians to resolve it--and the firefight that ensued. Bertrand Russell thought we could achieve certainty if we treated math as an extension of logic. David Hilbert believed redemption lay in accepting mathematics as a formal game of arbitrary rules, no different from the moves and pieces in chess. And L. E. J. Brouwer argued math is entirely rooted in human intuition--and that math is not based on logic but rather logic is based on math. It was a bitter struggle, intellectually and personally, as the three vied to set the course for mathematics in the twentieth century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Set against the backdrop of international warfare unfolding alongside it, \u003ci\u003eThe Great Math War \u003c\/i\u003ebrings the Foundational Crisis to radiant life--and shows how it indelibly shaped twentieth-century intellectual life.","brand":"Jason Socrates Bardi","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47288711479532,"sku":"9781541605008","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9781541605008.jpg?v=1770569925","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/great-math-war-how-three-brilliant-minds-fought-for-the-foundations-of-mathematics","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}