Reuben Hersh (1927–2020) was professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of New Mexico and the coauthor of The Mathematical Experience, which won the National Book Award. He was also the author of What Is Mathematics, Really? Vera John-Steiner (1930–2017) was professor emerita of linguistics and education at the University of New Mexico. Her books included Notebooks of the Mind, which won the William James Book Award from the American Psychological Association.
An exploration of the hidden human, emotional, and social dimensions of mathematics
Mathematics is often thought of as the coldest expression of pure reason. But few subjects provoke hotter emotions-and inspire more love and hatred-than mathematics. And although math is frequently idealized as floating above the messiness of human life, its story is nothing if not human; often, it is all too human. Loving and Hating Mathematics is about the hidden human, emotional, and social forces that shape mathematics and affect the experiences of students and mathematicians. Written in a lively, accessible style, and filled with gripping stories and anecdotes, Loving and Hating Mathematics brings home the intense pleasures and pains of mathematical life.
These stories challenge many myths, including the notions that mathematics is a solitary pursuit and a "young man's game," the belief that mathematicians are emotionally different from other people, and even the idea that to be a great mathematician it helps to be a little bit crazy. Reuben Hersh and Vera John-Steiner tell stories of lives in math from their very beginnings through old age, including accounts of teaching and mentoring, friendships and rivalries, love affairs and marriages, and the experiences of women and minorities in a field that has traditionally been unfriendly to both. Included here are also stories of people for whom mathematics has been an immense solace during times of crisis, war, and even imprisonment-as well as of those rare individuals driven to insanity and even murder by an obsession with math.
This is a book for anyone who wants to understand why the most rational of human endeavors is at the same time one of the most emotional. "Loving and Hating Mathematics, by Reuben Hersh and Vera John-Steiner: Mathematicians also happen to be full of emotion."---Tyler Cowen, New York Times Magazine "Mathematics gets a bad press. Its practitioners are often portrayed as aloof hyper-rationalists with oodles of logic but no emotional intelligence. Not so, say mathematician Reuben Hersh and linguist Vera John-Steiner. Focusing on the emotional side of the discipline, they reveal mathematicians' passions, collaborations and love affairs. The stories range from those who sought solace in equations to some who were driven to murder by a maths obsession." "Wisely used, the book could infuse the important issue of students' emotions into debates about mathematics education."---Lynn Arthur Steen, Science "The volume is quite entertaining, surprising in parts, and mostly convincing in its myth-demolition assignment." "A book rescuing the full humanity of mathematicians from misleading stereotypes." "Provocative. . . . This thoroughly entertaining book highlights vitally important issues."---Tony Mann, Times Higher Education "I do recommend the work to the interested mathematics observer . . . especially if you already love mathematics." "There's material for a thousand movie scripts in the vignettes-warm, funny, tragic or horrifying-that stud the pages of Loving and Hating Mathematics. . . . [The authors] aim to put a human face on the impulses that drive us to-or from-math. . . . The book offers insights into an important world invisible to many of us." "The book is heady with mathematical aha moments and will serve brilliantly as a virtual support group for mathematicians who feel isolated by the false notion that mathematicians are isolated." "When it comes to the culture of mathematic
