Uncountable: A Philosophical History of Number and Humanity from Antiquity to the Present

Mathematics has structured our knowledge of ourselves and the world, shaping our psychologies, sociologies, and economies. In Uncountable, David and Ricardo L. Nirenberg explore the limits of number-based claims and their implications for knowledge and how we live our lives.

Format: Hardback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Mathematics has played a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of ourselves as individuals and communities, influencing our psychology, sociology, and economy. In our quest for a more predictable and controllable universe, we have applied mathematical insights and methods to various aspects of the world. Today, these powers are more significant than ever, with computation permeating virtually every aspect of human activity. However, as we broaden the scope of mathematics, we must consider the potential risks to humanity. In their book, Uncountable, David and Ricardo L. Nirenberg raise thought-provoking questions about the implications of numerical relations becoming the foundation of human claims to knowledge, truth, and certainty. They argue that there is a limit to these number-based claims and set out to explore this limit. The Nirenbergs, father and son, bring together their diverse backgrounds in math, history, literature, religion, and philosophy, integrating scientific experiments with readings of poems, juxtaposing crises in mathematics with world wars, and engaging in conversations between medieval Muslim and Buddhist philosophers and renowned figures in modern physics such as Einstein, Schrödinger, and others. The result is a profound exploration of what constitutes knowledge and its profound implications for our lives.

Mathematics has played a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of ourselves as individuals and communities, influencing our psychology, sociology, and economy. In our quest for a more predictable and controllable universe, we have applied mathematical insights and methods to various aspects of the world. Today, these powers are more significant than ever, with computation permeating virtually every aspect of human activity. However, as we broaden the scope of mathematics, we must consider the potential risks to humanity. In their book, Uncountable, David and Ricardo L. Nirenberg raise thought-provoking questions about the implications of numerical relations becoming the foundation of human claims to knowledge, truth, and certainty. They argue that there is a limit to these number-based claims and set out to explore this limit. The Nirenbergs, father and son, bring together their diverse backgrounds in math, history, literature, religion, and philosophy, integrating scientific experiments with readings of poems, juxtaposing crises in mathematics with world wars, and engaging in conversations between medieval Muslim and Buddhist philosophers and renowned figures in modern physics such as Einstein, Schrödinger, and others. The result is a profound exploration of what constitutes knowledge and its profound implications for our lives.

Weight: 710g
Dimension: 162 x 238 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226646985