Mathematics as metaphor : selected essays of Yuri I. Manin

The emininent physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson provides a foreword to this collection of essays, noting that "Some mathematicians are birds, others are frogs. Birds [like Manin] fly high in the air and survey broad vistas...." Comprising about a dozen papers published during the last three decades, this volume is devoted to Manin's philosophical thoughts on what's important in mathematics, with excursions into history and into how mathematicians think. Though identified as non-technical (a selection of Manin's technical papers was published in 1996), the papers are for mathematically sophisticated readers, but not necessarily mathematicians. The book would lend itself well to a college-level seminar for physicists, biologists, engineers, and others, with selections grouped into sections on mathematics as metaphor; mathematics and physics; and language, consciousness, and book reviews. The final selection is an interview with Manin titled "Good proofs are proofs that make us wiser." Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)