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PI in the Sky: Counting, Thinking, and Being Paperback – 1992

by John D. Barrow (Author)

12 customer reviews

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John D. Barrow's Pi in the Sky is a profound -- and profoundly different -- exploration of the world of mathematics: where it comes from, what it is, and where it's going to take us if we follow it to the limit in our search for the ultimate meaning of the universe. Barrow begins by investigating whether math is a purely human invention inspired by our practical needs. Or is it something inherent in nature waiting to be discovered?

In answering these questions, Barrow provides a bridge between the usually irreconcilable worlds of mathematics and theology. Along the way, he treats us to a history of counting all over the world, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to logical friction, from number mysticism to Marxist mathematics. And he introduces us to a host of peculiar individuals who have thought some of the deepest and strangest thoughts that human minds have ever thought, from Lao-Tse to Robert Pirsig, Charles Darwin, and Umberto Eco. Barrow thus provides the historical framework and the intellectual tools necessary to an understanding of some of today's weightiest mathematical concepts.

PI in the Sky: Counting, Thinking, and Being

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British mathematician Barrow ( Theories of Everything ) here commands an elegant modern style in describing a more classical, structured grammar: that of numbers. This broad history of--and reflection upon--the role of mathematics in the human enterprise of figuring reality spans recorded civilization. Barrow examines hash marks made on bones that date from 9000 B.C., delves into numerology, observes mathematics in the depths of philosophy and the far reaches of cosmology, often utilizing playful headings to introduce substantive material (the section on early mathematics in the Near East is titled "The Counter Culture"). General readers who doubt that "numeracy" is as civilizing a pursuit as literacy will note how utterly human are some of the early-20th-century intuitionists' debates Barrow recounts in "Intuitionism: The Immaculate Construction." He does not justify the culture of mathematics as "fun" or as a separate, mystical realm but characterizes it as the modern manifestation of the oldest and most compelling human instinct.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

About the Author:
John D. Barrow is Professor in the Astronomy Centre of the University of Sussex. His is the author of several highly acclaimed volumes on the philosophy of science, including most recently Theories of Everything, which Publishers Weekly hailed as "a mind-boggling intellectual adventure."
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Paperback: 317 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books; 1st edition (1992)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316082597
ISBN-13: 978-0316082594
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 12 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,000,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #643 in Books > Science & Math > Physics > Mathematical Physics
- #856 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > History

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Five Stars

ByMr. Richard M. Smithon April 1, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

thank you

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Great Book, Good service

ByMark ERon March 16, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Very interesting book. Answers some of my questions, on how counting started and evolved.

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Five Stars

ByW Paul C Hamiltonon July 27, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A hard read but worth it.

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Very thought provoking and challenging read

ByLibrumVINE VOICEon June 18, 2012

Format: Paperback

A popular treatment of the philosophy of mathematics (PoM) -- not a book I imagine would jump off the shelves. Yet, what a gem this book is. For anyone not in the know about what some of the great intellectual debates in the realm of PoM are, Pi in the Sky offers a very solid, and endlessly interesting, overview. It's not always an easy-going read, but it's certainly one that rewards persistence. Barrow does a brilliant job of linking abstruse PoM arguments to other branches of philosophy (philosophy of mind and metaphysics for instance). Throughout, he maintains a neutral stance vis-a-vis competing positions, laying them out in detail, and presenting a wealth of arguments both pro and con. Whether or not Barrow is, himself, a Platonist, is irrelevant. He does not press a particular agenda in this book, only raises questions that have worried generations of philosophically minded mathematicians, and discusses the different philosophical claims that have been staked in response to them. In addition, Pi in the Sky is packed with fascinating insights from anthropology and developmental psychology, and with wonderful thought experiments. In short, Pi in the Sky is an intellectual feast. Don't be swayed by the moronic review at the bottom of this page. If "A Customer" even read this book (I doubt he/she did) he/she completely missed both the forest and the trees.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

God created the integers, the rest is the work of Man

ByIndikoson April 18, 2014

Format: Paperback

I really liked this book on the history of numbers.
Found it very well written and the story kept me hooked.
People who do not have much of an interest in math
will probably find this book rough going.
But it should grab those who have some interest in math,
particularly high school students.
The origin of our number system in India, the discussion of the
invention of the zero and negative numbers I really liked.
I also liked the stories about the mathematicians Hilbert,
Kronecker, Ramanujan, Godel and Cantor.
The discussion of the Russell paradox in set theory was very good too.
The book does not get into how modern mathematics creates
the numbers a la Peano -- but that may been going too far afield.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Is mathematics real?

ByMr P R Morganon November 14, 2004

Format: Paperback

That may be a silly question. After all, most of us use counting and numerical calculations many times a day. However, the reading matter here digs below the surface, and asks such awkward questions. What is the nature of maths? Would there be any maths if there were no mathematicians?

Starting with theories of counting, and the origins of methods of enumeration, John Barrow plunges headlong into the philosophy of mathematics. Perhaps the book ought to carry a health warning, for it should not be read accidentally. Readers need to have a grounding in some of the great mathematical movements, and discoveries. (Perhaps it is a bit judgmental to even use the word "discoveries"; are mathematical ideas invented or discovered? That topic is part of the subject matter).

I liked the debate, but found the volume hard going. It is not the kind of book to read solidly from cover to cover. A great deal of re-reading is necessary, and picking it up on the train requires a conscious effort to remember what the current debate is about. Some of the arguments are very intricate for those of us who are not mathematicians.

The work of some of the pillars of mathematics are described in varying detail, together with the triple crises that hit maths in the early years of the 20th Century. The optimism of Hilbert on the one hand, or Russell and Whitehead on the other was washed away by the work of Kurt Godel. The Austrian Godel, by the way, has been described as one of the most innovative minds of that century.

There are some interesting insights into some of the characters from the history of maths. Leopold Kronecker did not believe in negative numbers. However, he had been a BANKER. How did he convince his customers that the problems caused by negative numbers (i.e. too little in their accounts) needed to be solved? There were also some disturbing questions raised by the work of Cantor on set theory. This gives rise to a wonderful paradox called "Hilbert's Hotel".

As with many works on philosophy, it is not the answers that are important, it is the questions. Does the entity pi exist, even if there are no mathematicians. Is there really a universal 'pi in the sky', external to any human thought? You decide.

Peter Morgan, Bath, UK (morganp@supanet.com)

0Comment 16 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A wonderfull book for teens

ByA customeron June 26, 1998

Format: Hardcover

When I took algebra in high school I didn't like it. My teachers seemed to say "All the interesting problems have been solved so just memorize your textbook for the quiz on Friday, please." Not a presentation that would inspire most teenagers.
The books starts with an introduction that really grabbed me. It talks about how most scientific theories are expressed in the language of mathematics and then asks a simple question: Why? What is it about the world that makes it so mathematical? The introduction clearly lays out mathematics deepest secret: Beneath all the formulas and proofs there is something about math that is mysterious and profound. This was not something my high school teacher pointed out.
The following chapters present the history of mathematics in an style that manages to inform about important concepts without getting bogged down in formulas. The author strikes a delicate balance between writing about mathematicians as people and writing about their work and its importance.
In the end, he doesn't have any answers about the deep questions posed in the introduction. But after reading his book it didn't matter because at least I now understood better what the questions meant and could appreciate their profound, abstract beauty. Sort of like the difference between looking up in the night sky and seeing little points of light versus seeing the vast universe. Excuse my hyperbole, but that's the best I can explain it.
Anyway, I highly recommend the book to anyone who might read this review. I especially recommend it to students just beginning their math studies. This book will help them appreciate the subject in a way that no textbook ever could.

0Comment 33 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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Most recent customer reviews

hey mr. wanton arborcide from iceland

doesn't the mathematical concept of greater than
come from a human mind? sure, some birds can count and distinguish between object sizes but can they creatively abstract and...Read more

Published on October 15, 2003 by T. Sanders

wanton arboricide

The author's leading claim in this book is that "the only mathematics we know is human mind and brain based mathematics.Read more

Published on July 26, 2003

Will There Be Pi in The Sky By and By When You Die?

Barrow, an astronomer at the University of Sussex when this book was published, provides an entertaining and informative account of the foundations and philosophy of mathematics.Read more

Published on November 3, 2001 by Bruce I. Kodish

Worth a look

As someone who barely got through algebra in high school, I can attest that Barrow's book is lucid and engrossing even for the equation-challanged.Read more

Published on August 30, 2000 by bruce horner

Liberation from mathematical mysteries

This book did more to aid my understanding of modern
mathematics than any graduate math course I took.Read more

Published on August 28, 1995

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