David Berlinski

I thought I was getting some in-depth insight into calculus, technical insight I missed in my college course. I did get that, but got a lot of back-story re: the history of the development of calculus, which was usually pretty interesting, and also lyrical, allegorical musings on the nature of functions, limits, and calculus itself, which I had to be in the mood for and frequently was not. This was my fault, the author writes very well, and has clearly thought very deeply about his subject, but I was looking for more math and less philosophy.

I thought some of the proofs could have been more clear (for example, on page 215, why is f(a) a constant?), but in general I could follow along well enough not to lose the thread.… (more)

Every student of the sciences, arts and philosophy should appreciate and benefit from Berlinsky's work - not just for its conclusions, but also for its unanswered questions. Humans tend to strive for knowledge or enlightenment up to a point, then set aside their thirst in favour of more secure checkpoints. Berlinsky storms ahead, producing insights and revelations that not only entertain, but should inspire us to awaken from our intellectual slumber and give us the courage to sally forth once more and conquer the intertwining failings of ignorance and disinformation.… (more)