The Mind of the Mathematician [Hardcover]

Michael Fitzgerald (Author), Ioan James (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801885876 | ISBN-13: 978-0801885877 | Publication Date: May 18, 2007 | Edition: 1

What makes mathematicians tick? How do their minds process formulas and concepts that, for most of the rest of the world’s population, remain mysterious and beyond comprehension? Is there a connection between mathematical creativity and mental illness?

In The Mind of the Mathematician, internationally famous mathematician Ioan James and accomplished psychiatrist Michael Fitzgerald look at the complex world of mathematics and the mind. Together they explore the behavior and personality traits that tend to fit the profile of a mathematician. They discuss mathematics and the arts, savants, gender and mathematical ability, and the impact of autism, personality disorders, and mood disorders.

These topics, together with a succinct analysis of some of the great mathematical personalities of the past three centuries, combine to form an eclectic and fascinating blend of story and scientific inquiry.

(2007)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The authors' careful treatments are an especially welcome addition to a genre riddled with apocryphal anecdotes and shoddy scholarship.

(Donald O'Shea Nature )

A fine book, providing for agreeable and easy reading.

(Michael Otte Mathematical Reviews )

About the Author

Michael Fitzgerald is the Henry Marsh Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin. He is also a psychoanalyst with the International Psychoanalytic Association and the author of eighteen books. Ioan James was Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford University. He is the author of seven books and over one hundred research articles and an editor for the mathematical journal Topology.

(2008)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1 edition (May 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801885876
• ISBN-13: 978-0801885877
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,172,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Minds Think ALike, May 4, 2011

By 

Ty Hyderally "Ty Hyderally" (Kinnelon, NJ, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mind of the Mathematician (Hardcover)

Just about everyone will agree that the "math person" has unique characteristics. The authors take a look at some of the unique behaviors and personality traits of most mathematicians. It contains a well balanced blend of the psychological aspect as well as the mathematician's perspectives on the topic. It is a logical look at those whose minds tend to march to a different drummer.