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Shorter and more light-hearted than his theoretical academic works, Mathematics is the Poetry of Science represents Villani's attempt to communicate his love of mathematics to a wider audience, and is an interesting contribution from one of the world's finest living mathematicians
List of contents
- 0: Elisa Brune: Foreword
- 1: Mathematics, Science, and Poetry
- 2: Constraints and Creativity
- 3: Inspiration
- 4: Making Connections
- 5: A Portable Universe
- 6: The Form of Words
- 7: Visionaries
- 8: Poincaré and the Omnibus
- 9: Ping-Pong
- 10: Ode to Imperfection
- 11: Appendix: Henri Poincaré on Mathematical Discovery
About the author
Cédric Villani is a French mathematician and politician working primarily on partial differential equations, Riemannian geometry and mathematical physics. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 2010 and he was the director of Sorbonne University's Institut Henri Poincaré from 2009 to 2017. Villani was elected to the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, during the 2017 legislative election.
Summary
In the words of the great poet Senghor, Cedric Villani makes the bold claim that Mathematics is the Poetry of Science. Perhaps paradoxical to some, both disciplines are concerned with describing the world around us, understanding its parts, and using this knowledge to create something profound.
World-renowned mathematician and Fields Medallist Cedric Villani explores this analogy in this engaging and intelligent text, and shows how mathematics, one of the world's few universal languages, holds deep similarities to the literary genre. A great lover of poetry, he insists that the two are intrinsically linked in their aim of both tackling the complexities of our reality as well as distancing us from it so that we may better appreciate its beauty.
In a more light-hearted and concise approach than his more theoretical academic works, this book represents one of Villani's attempts to communicate his love of mathematics to a wider audience, drawing daring parallels between two universes that meet in their aspiration of the sublime.
Additional text
A remarkable exploration of creativity and aesthetic sensitivity in mathematics, and I would wholly recommend it to anyone who wants to appreciate why it will continue to inspire and fascinate all of its devotees.
