Pi in the Sky: Counting, Thinking, and Being (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780316082594)

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.

Author: John D. Barrow
ISBN-10: 0316082597
ISBN-13: 9780316082594
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Language: English
Published: 10/20/1993
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 8.70h x 5.64w x 0.88d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/27/1993