A Mathematician's Apology
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A Mathematician's Apology is a 1940 essay by British mathematician G. H. Hardy which defends the pursuit of mathematics for its own sake. Central to Hardy's "apology" – in the sense of a formal justif
1st edition
In A Mathematician's Apology, G. H. Hardy defined a set of criteria for mathematical beauty.
FWF Samuel Monnier
Mathematical beauty
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Mathematical beauty is a type of aesthetic value that is experienced in doing or contemplating mathematics. The testimonies of mathematicians indicate that various aspects of mathematics—including res
A Mathematician's Apology
…Plato's Apology of Socrates) – is an argument that mathematics has value independent of its applications. Hardy located this value in what he called the beauty of mathematics and gave some examples of and criteria for mathematical beauty. The book also includes a brief autobiography which gives insight into the mind of a…
Diagram from Leon Battista Alberti's 1435 Della Pittura, with pillars in perspective on a grid