Mathematics and the Search for Knowledge
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| Author | Morris Kline |
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| Subject | Mathematics and physics |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Publication date | 1985 |
| Pages | 266 |
| ISBN | 0-19-503533-X |
| Preceded by | The Loss of Certainty |
Mathematics and the Search for Knowledge is a 1985 book by Morris Kline about the role of mathematics in understanding physical reality. It is preceded by The Loss of Certainty (1980).
Overview
Kline gives an outline of the development of physics, beginning from ancient Greek astronomy. He explains that modern physics (consisting of theories such as electromagnetism, relativity and quantum mechanics) differs from previous fields such as Newtonian mechanics in that it consists of purely mathematical models that cannot be intuitively visualized. Further, unlike sensory perception, modern theories have provided predictions that have been verified and are immune to sensory illusions. Kline argues that it is mathematics, not human senses, that provides a true understanding of physical reality.
Contents
- Historical Overview: Is There an External World?
- I. The Failings of the Senses and Intuition
- II. The Rise and Role of Mathematics
- III. The Astronomical Worlds of the Greeks
- IV. The Heliocentric Theory of Copernicus and Kepler
- V. Mathematics Dominates Physical Science
- VI. Mathematics and the Mystery of Gravitation
- VII. Mathematics and the Imperceptible Electromagnetic World
- VIII. A Prelude to the Theory of Relativity
- IX. The Relativistic World
- X. The Dissolution of Matter: Quantum Theory
- XI. The Reality of Mathematical Physics
- XII. Why Does Mathematics Work?
- XIII. Mathematics and Nature's Behavior
- Bibliography
- Index
Bibliography
- Calinger, Ronald L. (1990). "Review of Mathematics and the Search for Knowledge". Isis 81 (1): 87–88. doi:10.1086/355257.
- Hersh, Reuben (March 1987). "Review of Mathematics and the Search for Knowledge". The American Mathematical Monthly 94 (3): 314–315. doi:10.2307/2323410.
- Peak, Philip (September 1987). "Review of Mathematics and the Search for Knowledge (L, P)". The Mathematics Teacher 80 (6): 496.
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