Logicomix
von Felix
A mathematician and a professor of computer science sit down to write a book about Bertrand Russel, a British philosopher, mathematician and logician, and his quest for certainty in mathematics.
Boooooring!
you think (unless you study Computer Science). Far from it!
Recently I read a New York Times review on Logicomix – An Epic Search for Truth. The said book by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou is in fact a graphic novel, i.e. a comic!
I was hooked. A moment later I had already hit the buy button on amazon’s marketplace to import it from the UK. Yesterday it finally arrived:
I almost read it in one go and really had to force myself to stop reading late last night in order to be able to get some sleep. First thing I did this morning was to continue.
The book is colored, well-drawn and has a very clever narrative structure that involves several layers. The authors depict themselves struggling to write the book and discussing its contents. They talk about Bertrand Russel’s talk on The Role of Logic in Human Affairs
in which he tells the audience the story of his life and the influence of various illustrious characters, such as Karl Gödel, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Gottlob Frege (my personal favorite).
I do not want to talk too much about it, otherwise I would spoil the fun. Just let me tell you: it is a fascinating piece of art and both money and time is well-spent. Now go and see for yourself!
Felix schrieb am 7. Oktober 2009 um 12:30:
http://www.logicomix.com/en/