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John Allen Paulos cleverly scrutinizes the mathematical structures
of jokes, puns, paradoxes, spoonerisms, riddles, and other forms of
humor, drawing examples from such sources as Rabelais, Shakespeare,
James Beattie, Rene Thom, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Koestler, W. C.
Fields, and Woody Allen.
With wry humor and penetrating satire, "Flatland" takes us on a
mind-expanding journey into a different world to give us a new
vision of our own. A. Square, the slightly befuddled narrator, is
born into a place limited to two dimensions--irrevocably flat--and
peopled by a hierarchy of geometrical forms. In a Gulliver-like
tour of his bizarre homeland, A. Square spins a fascinating tale of
domestic drama and political turmoil, from sex among consenting
triangles to the intentional subjugation of Flatland's females. He
tells of visits to Lineland, the world of one dimension, and
Pointland, the world of no dimension. But when A. Square dares to
speak openly of a third, or even a fourth, dimension, his tragic
fate climaxes a brilliant parody of Victorian society. An
underground favorite since its publication in England in1884,
"Flatland" is as prophetic a science fiction classic as the works
of H. G. Wells, introducing aspects of relativity and hyperspace
years before Einstein's famous theories. And it does so with
wonderful, enduring enchantment.
The preeminent explicator of mathematical logic to non-mathematicians, John Allen Paulos is familiar to general readers not only from his bestselling books but also from his media appearances, including The David Letterman Show and National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" and "Science Friday," as well as articles in "Newsweek, Nature, Discover, Business Week, the New York Times Book Review, The Nation, New York Review of Books, " and "The London Review of Books." Paulos originally wrote this charming little book on analytic logic, its mathematics, and its puzzles in 1985. And as in his later books, he uses jokes, stories, parables, and anecdotes to elucidate difficult concepts, in this case, some of the fundamental problems in modern philosophy.
With a sound grasp of statistics, we can dramatically improve our understanding of everything from the weather forecast to our chances at poker. The world then becomes a far less random and fearful place. John Allen Paulos brings together many intriguing and practical examples to reveal the inherent beauty and power of mathematics - and to put the fun back into facts and figures.
"[An] elegant ... Survival Manual ... Brief, witty and full of practical applications." - Stefan Kanfer, Time
Are there any logical reasons to believe in God? The mathematician and bestselling author John Allen Paulos thinks not. In "Irreligion" he presents the case for his own world view, organizing his book into twelve chapters that refute the twelve arguments most often put forward for believing in God's existence. Interspersed among these counterarguments are remarks on a variety of irreligious themes, ranging from the nature of miracles and creationist probability to cognitive illusions and prudential wagers. Special attention is paid to topics, arguments, and questions that spring from his incredulity 'not only about religion but also about others' credulity'. Despite the strong influence of his day job, Paulos says, there isn't a single mathematical formula in the book.
Despite the ubiquity of countless apps, social media platforms, and so-called smart devices, and even considering the renewed and welcome focus on STEM subjects, societal innumeracy remains a critical driver of bad policy and bad thinking. Almost every major issue facing today's world is made more difficult by false interpretations, incorrect assumptions, or a general misunderstanding of how numbers inform narratives and statistics shape stories. New York Times-bestselling author and math popularizer John Allen Paulos has worked for decades to educate readers on not only the formal properties of the numbers, statistics, and probabilities behind news stories, but also what they mean and how they should be interpreted. When we use mathematics to describe the social world, we are always faced with questions: What are we trying to measure or count and how do we decide whom to include, exclude, or qualify? Who's Counting features selected columns from Paulos' well-known ABC News series of the same name collected here in book form for the first time, along with updates and brand-new original essays from the author. The result is a timeless and timely examination of how better understanding data improves our thinking and decision-making. With examples from government, mass media, natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theories, climate change, "fake news," and popular culture, Paulos shows how mathematics and logic are, along with a humble respect for truth, our most basic and reliable guides to reality.
From crime figures to health scares, election polls to stock market forecasts, numbers make the news all the time. But are they accurate? John Allen Paulos, travels through the pages of an average newspaper, revealing how mathematics is at the heart of the articles we read every day - even horoscopes and the sports pages - and how often they mislead us. By understanding simple concepts such as probability, chaos theory and game theory, you'll be able to see through faulty statistics, stock market forecasters and conspiracy theorists - and make the figures truly add up.
From the author of the national bestseller Innumeracy, a delightful exploration and explanation of mathematical concepts from algebra to zero in easily accessible alphabetical entries. "Paulos . . . does for mathematics what The Joy of Sex did for the boudoir. . . ."--Washington Post Book World. First time in paperback.
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