The Math Gene How Mathematical Thinking Evolved And Why Numbers Are Like Gossip
The Math Gene: How Mathematical Thinking Evolved And Why Numbers Are Like Gossip by Keith Devlin is a thought-provoking exploration published by Basic Books on May 17, 2001. This reprint edition spans 352 pages and is presented in English. The book addresses the complexities of mathematical understanding, posing critical questions about why some individuals excel in math while others struggle, and examines the evolutionary roots of mathematical thinking.
In this work, Devlin delves into the innate capacities for mathematical reasoning and its connection to language development. He proposes a new theory suggesting that language evolved in two stages, primarily for purposes beyond communication, and reveals how mathematical ability is intertwined with our linguistic skills. Readers will find insights into the nature of mathematical reasoning and how it manifests in everyday life, challenging the perception that math is solely a formal discipline. This edition invites readers to reconsider their relationship with numbers and the underlying cognitive processes that shape our understanding of mathematics.
Official synopsis Publisher
Why is math so hard? And why, despite this difficulty, are some people so good at it? If there’s some inborn capacity for mathematical thinking—which there must be, otherwise no one could do it —why can’t we all do it well? Keith Devlin has answers to all these difficult questions, and in giving them shows us how mathematical ability evolved, why it’s a part of language ability, and how we can make better use of this innate talent.He also offers a breathtakingly new theory of language development—that language evolved in two stages, and its main purpose was not communication—to show that the ability to think mathematically arose out of the same symbol-manipulating ability that was so crucial to the emergence of true language. Why, then, can’t we do math as well as we can speak? The answer, says Devlin, is that we can and do—we just don’t recognize when we’re using mathematical reasoning.
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