| Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Logic and Math |  | Author: Joseph Mazur
Publisher: Pi Press
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 4747763
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
ISBN: 013187280X
Dewey Decimal Number: 511
EAN: 9780131872806
ASIN: 013187280X
Publication Date: October 21, 2005
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Product Description
Like Douglas Hofstadters Goedel, Escher, Bach, and David Berlinskis A Tour of the Calculus, Euclid in the Rainforest combines the literary with the mathematical to explore logicthe one indispensable tool in mans quest to understand the world. Underpinning both math and science, it is the foundation of every major advancement in knowledge since the time of the ancient Greeks. Through adventure stories and historical narratives populated with a rich and quirky cast of characters, Mazur artfully reveals the less-than-airtight nature of logic and the muddled relationship between math and the real world. Ultimately, Mazur argues, logical reasoning is not purely robotic. At its most basic level, it is a creative process guided by our intuitions and beliefs about the world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Why Science isn't Faith Based July 18, 2007
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I found this remarkable little book in a 'bargain basket' at a bookstore in Panama City. I took it with me to Kuna Yala where I was staying in a Kuna village without electricity, running water, or much else. Thus I had a lot of very quiet time to read it. Parts of it were very difficult for me, but the overall message of the book is wonderful.
For some reason there are 'Post Modern' scholars (sic)(Stanley Fish of Florida International University is one) who want to reserect the old canard of 'science is merely faith' as a criticism of recent books on faith by scientists and others (Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens).
While this book does not directly address the issue of `faith vs. science', it is a explanation of the scientific method and the cleanest example of why science is not based on faith, does not require faith, and, in fact, can be demonstrated to be counter to faith based beliefs.
When I was an undergraduate in the late Pleistocene I took a philosophy course in which the instructor took the position that `Science,' `Religion,' and `Philosophy' were equally valid approaches to understanding reality. I didn't do well in the course because I kept objecting to his basic premise. While my training is in biology I have been trying to learn Particle Physics and Cosmology in recent years and am even more convinced that science is fundamentally divorced from other approaches.
Even if you are not going to a tropical island for a week, get this little book. You will probably enjoy it and will come away with a much better appreciation for how science works and how scientists think.
One of the best popular mathematics books I have ever read May 13, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Properly presented, the fundamental truths of mathematics are easy to understand. By that I mean that if they are presented in the appropriate non-technical language and with simple examples, then almost anyone can understand them. Mazur does this and does it very well. Much of the mathematics in this book is also philosophical in nature. A great deal of ink is spent in describing Zeno's famous paradox, "proving" that motion is impossible. His development of the solution to the paradox can be understood by anyone possessing the most rudimentary of mathematical backgrounds.
The role of proof in mathematics is also discussed, with questions raised as to what actually constitutes a proof. Mathematicians have debated this point since the Greeks invented the concept of the mathematical proof, and this is a good recapitulation of that debate. I consider it very healthy for the math profession to admit to the laity that mathematical proof is not necessarily fixed in concrete. It is also a point of significant honesty to admit that proofs that were considered correct for centuries contained flaws that were discovered and repaired.
There are three sections to the book:
*) Logic
*) Infinity
*) Reality.
The chapter "Does Math Really Reflect the Real World?" makes a point that often astounds mathematicians and others that work in the physical sciences. Namely, that mathematics does describe the real world, not only well, but often astonishingly well. New mathematical concepts are invented and considered to be purely abstract, there being no current practical application. However, as science progresses in other areas, that "purely abstract" idea suddenly has uses in the real world. Of course, the real world does have its flaws. It is impossible to create the perfect circle, the well-balanced coin and die do not exist and there are times when we cannot measure a value to enough decimal places to get true predictability. Those situations are also covered, which is important, as it points out that even the best mathematics does not give us absolute predictability. Fortunately, nearly all of the time, the good enough is in fact really good enough.
This is one of the best popular mathematics books that I have ever read; it covers the fundamentals that need to be covered and at a level that nearly everyone can understand.
Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission
 Pleasure reading January 31, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a good book. You just read page after page without any brain-twisting theories. Facts and stories about math are lucidly presented. A soft way to teach truths about math and logic.
 Dissapointing January 3, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
The book does not deliver to the promise in its title. It is yet another "discover fun in mathematics" book, mixed with a poorly written travel account.
High School Math Teacher October 29, 2006
I agree with the review from Mr.Strasser as found below. The book intention seems not to enlighten any mathematical foundations or concepts but rather to find universal truth in math by peeling the layers each culture places on our understanding. I was thrilled with the book but it seems to leave the intended point about 5 chapters from the end. Started out thrilled but ended disappointed.
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