Mathematicians and their Gods: Interactions between mathematics and religious beliefs

by Snezana Lawrence, Mark McCartney

Overview

To open a newspaper or turn on the television it would appear that science and religion are polar opposites - mutually exclusive bedfellows competing for hearts and minds. There is little indication of the rich interaction between religion and science throughout history, much of which continues today. From ancient to modern times, mathematicians have played a key role in this interaction. This is a book on the relationship between mathematics and religious beliefs. It aims to show that, throughout scientific history, mathematics has been used to make sense of the 'big' questions of life, and that religious beliefs sometimes drove mathematicians to mathematics to help them make sense of the world. Containing contributions from a wide array of scholars in the fields of philosophy, history of science and history of mathematics, this book shows that the intersection between mathematics and theism is rich in both culture and character. Chapters cover a fascinating range of topics including the Sect of the Pythagoreans, Newton's views on the apocalypse, Charles Dodgson's Anglican faith and G?del's proof of the existence of God.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191007552
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	07/23/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Snezana Lawrence is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education at Bath Spa University. She has been involved with a number of national and international initiatives to promote the use of the history of mathematics in mathematics education. Snezana is on the Advisory Board of the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics Group (an affiliate of the International Commission on Mathematics Instruction), and is Mathematics Programme Director of the Prince's Teaching Institute Schools' Programme. She in on the Editorial Boards of BSHM Bulletin (as Associate Editor from January 2013) and Mathematics Today. Her website mathsisgoodforyou.com has attracted more than 4 million visitors since its launch in 2005. Mark McCartney is a Senior Lecturer in mathematics at the University of Ulster. His research and scholarly interests include nonlinear dynamics, mathematical modelling and the history of science. He is the editor (with Andrew Whitaker) of Physicists of Ireland (IOP, 2003) and (with Andrew Whitaker and Raymond Flood) of Kelvin - Life, Labours and Legacy (OUP, 2008) and James Clerk Maxwell - Perspectives on His Life and Work (OUP, 2014).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction, Mark McCartney
2. The Pythagoreans: Number and Numerology, Andrew Gregory
3. Divine light, Allan Chapman
4. Kepler and his Trinitarian Cosmology, Owen Gingerich
5. The Lull before the storm: combinatorics in the Renaissance, Robin Wilson and John Fauvel
6. Mystical Arithmetic in the Renaissance: From Biblical Hermeneutics to a Philosophical Tool, Jean-Pierre Brach
7. Newton, God, and the mathematics of the Two Books, Rob Iliffe
8. Maria Gaetana Agnesi, mathematician of God, Massimo Mazzotti
9. Capital G for Geometry: Masonic lore and the history of geometry, Snezana Lawrence
10. Charles Dodgeson's Work for God, Mark Richards
11. P. G. Tait, Balfour Stewart and The Unseen Universe, Elizabeth Lewis
12. Faith and Flatland, Melanie Bayley
13. Godel's "proof" for the existence of God, C Anthony Anderson

Editorial Reviews

"This text has potential to fill the void of accessible essays detailing the relationship between an individual and their god." —MAA Reviews

"Lawrence and McCartney's volume captures the various ways in which mathematics and religion have represented commensurable, even interconnected, systems of knowledge and belief. ... The collection will serve these readers well and could also benefit historians of science or theology unfamiliar with the ground covered in these essays." — British Journal for the History of Science

"Lawrence and McCartney have done an admirable job in assembling a book of remarkable scholarship on a topic which challenges readers working in science or technology." —ESSSAT News & Reviews

"The book's strength lies in its organization and inclusiveness; it covers almost all mathematicians from A (Aristotle) through Y (Emperor Yu). ... Mathematicians and Their Gods will be of interest to those studying either mathematics or theology but preferably both." —Mathematics Teacher

"Perhaps this is the most valuable contribution of Mathematicians and their Gods as a whole: it discusses ideas which must often appear strange to modern readers, and in explaining their context and influence helps us to understand how they captured the imaginations of our mathematical predecessors. This book will appeal to all those with an interest in mathematical history, regardless of their own religious views." —Mathematics Today

From the Publisher