Introduction to mathematical philosophy
by Bertrand Russell · first published 1920
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An accessible, witty introduction to the logical foundations of mathematics. Its prose is simple and enjoyable, and it suits anyone curious about the philosophy behind math.
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…skimming through I knew I had to buy my own. (For all of those of have lent books, you must know how much of a gamble it is, specially when the person you're lending the book is some random student!) [1] Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy (http://people.umass.edu/klement/russell-imp.html) [2] On Denoting (http://bactra.org/Russell/denoting/)
on “E.O. Wilson Sounds Off on the Trouble With STEM” ↗…reading, but not as your introduction to philos of math!), or recommending Kuhn as a supplemental reading, but not Popper, Bacon, Hume, etc. FWIW, for philosophy of mathematics, I'd recommend reading "Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. The recommendation of The Frege Reader is actually good, but I'd recommend watching some lectures or something as well, otherwise it'll be a difficult read.
on “So You Want to Study Philosophy” ↗…diagrams http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/elements.html +Aristotle for appreciation of curiosity http://books.google.com/books?id=WWyF4vS8P7UC&pg=PA154&#... +Bertrand Russel for his humor http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell and for his Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy Really beautiful book so simple and fun to read... http://books.google.com/books?id=9GK_Fhz5RDUC&dq=introdu... +Tolstoy's Confessions http://flag.blackened.net/daver/anarchism/tolstoy/confession... For…
on “Ask HN: What accelerated your understanding of how the world works?” ↗A good example of this is Bertrand Russell's _Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy_: https://courses.umass.edu/klement/imp/ which is available in a number of sizes _and_ has the LaTeX source available showing how the various sizes are arrived at.
on “LaTeX.css – Make your website look like a LaTeX document” ↗…their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions). - Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗You might like Russel's Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy https://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf From the Introduction: "And as we need two sorts of instruments, the telescope and the microscope, for the enlargement of our visual powers, so we need…
on “The Mathematician (1947)” ↗For an accessible introduction before beginning this, consider his _Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy_: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Mathematical_P... and for ease of reading see the various PDF versions at: https://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/
on “Principia Mathematica is modern and insightful” ↗…comment the field is possibly too immature at the moment to have as much mathematical certainty as you might find with other methods and fields of mathematics. I recently read the beginning of the book Introduction to Mathematical philosophy by Bertrand Russell and in it he explains how at the times of the Egyptians though they invented geometry it wasn’t very formal and it was very much like the grandparent explained Machine Learning is…
on “TensorFlow, Keras and deep learning, without a PhD” ↗…in a very particular 1850s Oxbridge sensibility that most people don't even realize is being read into the whole project. >> > Russell... yawn > Are you serious? First of all, the text listed is his Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy. It's literally a 1920s textbook on Mathematical Philosophy. It is what it is. Doesn't really belong in a Great Books curriculum, imo, but the indignation at the idea that it's a yawnfest (too verbose)…
on “St. John’s Reading List: A Great Books Curriculum” ↗…who aren't really familiar with Russell or his personal life that say that? If you're going to argue that he wrote sellout books, then he did that long before he gave up on logicism. See for example Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy, which is aimed at people who know nothing above regular public school math. I think the ability to recognize that he had basically hit a dead end with logicism was probably his greatest success, instead…
on “What people get wrong about Bertrand Russell” ↗