David Berlinski Livres

Exploring the profound mysteries of existence, Berlinski delves into the nature of the human mind, the diversity of life, and the essence of matter. His insights challenge conventional scientific views, reflecting his background as a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute. With a robust literary portfolio that includes titles like The Devil's Delusion and Newton's Gift, he invites readers to ponder deep philosophical questions that intertwine science and belief.

This book collects essays published in journals including Commentary, The Weekly Standard, and elsewhere. It centers on three profound mysteries: the existence of the human mind; the existence and diversity of living creatures; and the existence of matter. How they did they come into being? The author, Dr. David Berlinski, is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and formerly a fellow at the Institut des Hautes tudes Scientifiques in France. His other books include The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions, Newton's Gift, and A Tour of the Calculus.

Challenging the notion that humanity is on a steady path toward improvement, this work explores the complexities of human nature through a multidisciplinary lens. David Berlinski critiques the belief in a declining murder rate and the idea of an impending utopia driven by technological advancement. By weaving together insights from history, mathematics, and literature, he highlights the enduring presence of both beauty and depravity in the human condition, asserting that humans are unlikely to evolve into god-like beings.

A secular Jew, Berlinski nonetheless delivers a biting defense of religious thought. This incisive book explores the limits of science and the pretensions of those who insist it can be--indeed must be--the ultimate touchstone for understanding the world.

From the acclaimed author of A Tour of the Calculus and The Advent of the Algorithm, here is a riveting look at mathematics that reveals a hidden world in some of its most fundamental concepts. In his latest foray into mathematics, David Berlinski takes on the simplest questions that can be asked: What is a number? How do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division actually work? What are geometry and logic? As he delves into these subjects, he discovers and lucidly describes the beauty and complexity behind their seemingly simple exteriors, making clear how and why these mercurial, often slippery concepts are essential to who we are. Filled with illuminating historical anecdotes and asides on some of the most fascinating mathematicians through the ages, One, Two, Three is a captivating exploration of the foundation of mathematics: how it originated, who thought of it, and why it matters. From the Hardcover edition.

The book offers a critical analysis of the responses to Stephen C. Meyer's influential work on intelligent design, "Signature in the Cell." It highlights how many critics failed to engage with the core arguments of Meyer's theory. Edited by David Klinghoffer, it features essays from prominent defenders of intelligent design, including David Berlinski and Paul Nelson, who examine the critiques using the critics' own writings. This collection aims to clarify and defend the principles of intelligent design against its detractors.

Sir Isaac Newton, a pivotal figure in the scientific revolution, is portrayed as both a monumental genius and a distant historical figure. The book aims to bridge the gap between his groundbreaking theories and contemporary readers, making his life and contributions more relatable and understandable. It explores the complexities of his character and the profound impact of his work on science, revealing the man behind the myth.

In Infinite Ascent, David Berlinski, the acclaimed author of The Advent of the Algorithm, A Tour of the Calculus, and Newton’s Gift, tells the story of mathematics, bringing to life with wit, elegance, and deep insight a 2,500-year-long intellectual adventure. Berlinski focuses on the ten most important breakthroughs in mathematical history–and the men behind them. Here are Pythagoras, intoxicated by the mystical significance of numbers; Euclid, who gave the world the very idea of a proof; Leibniz and Newton, co-discoverers of the calculus; Cantor, master of the infinite; and Gödel, who in one magnificent proof placed everything in doubt. The elaboration of mathematical knowledge has meant nothing less than the unfolding of human consciousness itself. With his unmatched ability to make abstract ideas concrete and approachable, Berlinski both tells an engrossing tale and introduces us to the full power of what surely ranks as one of the greatest of all human endeavors.

Were it not for the calculus, mathematicians would have no way to describe the acceleration of a motorcycle or the effect of gravity on thrown balls and distant planets, or to prove that a man could cross a room and eventually touch the opposite wall. Just how calculus makes these things possible and in doing so finds a correspondence between real numbers and the real world is the subject of this dazzling book by a writer of extraordinary clarity and stylistic brio. Even as he initiates us into the mysteries of real numbers, functions, and limits, Berlinski explores the furthest implications of his subject, revealing how the calculus reconciles the precision of numbers with the fluidity of the changing universe."An odd and tantalizing book by a writer who takes immense pleasure in this great mathematical tool, and tries to create it in others."--New York Times Book Review

Algorithms serve as essential instructions that enable computers to function, forming the backbone of modern technology. This concept, which has challenged some of history's greatest minds, is fundamental to advancements such as computers, the Internet, virtual reality, and email. The book explores the profound impact of algorithms on our daily lives and the development of contemporary society, highlighting their critical role in shaping the technological landscape we navigate today.