Mystery of the Aleph

Name: Mystery of the Aleph
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Amir D. Aczel
ISBN: 9780739300039

Author: Amir D. Aczel

Narrator: Henry Leyva

Abridged: 5 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Random House Audio

Published: 09/04/2001

Categories: Nonfiction, Mathematics

Synopsis

From the end of the 19th century until his death, one of history's most brilliant mathematicians languished in an asylum. The Mystery of the Aleph tells the story of Georg Cantor (1845-1918), a Russian-born German who created set theory, the concept of infinite numbers, and the "continuum hypothesis," which challenged the very foundations of mathematics. His ideas brought expected denunciation from established corners - he was called a "corruptor of youth" not only for his work in mathematics, but for his larger attempts to meld spirituality and science.

About The Author

Amir D. Aczel is the author of many research articles on mathematics, two textbooks, and nine nonfiction books, including the international bestseller Fermat's Last Theorem, which was nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Award. Aczel has appeared on over thirty television programs, including nationwide appearances on CNN, CNBC, and Nightline, and on over a hundred radio programs, including NPR's Weekend Edition and Morning Edition. Aczel is a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Phil on December 02, 2010

The book covers the idealized history of mathematical ideas related to infinity, while telling in parallel the biographies of the various people who were a part of it. More than one of the stories fall into the "tortured genius versus crusty establishment" trope. The book breezes through fairly adva......more

Goodreads review by Irena on September 19, 2013

A wonderful history of mankind's grappling with the concept of infinity where mathematics, philosophy and religion intersect in amazing ways. This is a relatively short book but it is packed with fascinating stories about ancient Greek philosophers, kabalists, Galileo, Descartes, Georg Cantor, Kurt......more

Goodreads review by Matt on March 31, 2020

This book was DEEP, a little above my paygrade! A fascinating premise that math and religion can explore the same topics (e.g. the infinity of God also contains nothingness vs. Set theory/math: an infinite set also contains the empty set.). I really enjoyed the brief side story, synopsis of Gödel's......more

Goodreads review by Jim on September 29, 2017

Although I am no mathematician, I enjoyed this book. Of course, there were things I didn't understand, but Amir D Aczel avoided shoving our faces into strings of equations. The Mystery of the Aleph: Mathematics, the Kabbalah, and the Search for Infinity is one of those books that show us that not ev......more

Goodreads review by K.D. on June 13, 2012

This wouldnt seem to be a book that would go under cross-cultural spirituality. It is. It depends on how much you are trying to understand. Ultimately, deep study takes you to almost every discipline and science, hard and soft.......more