Musings of the Masters

The anthology is a collection of articles contiguous to the humanities written by renowned mathematicians of the twentieth century. The articles cover a variety of topics that, for want of a better name, shall be referred to as humanistic. An important criterion, thereby limiting the choice, is that the articles should be accessible to the literate reader who may or may not have technical knowledge of mathematics. The articles span roughly a century in time and a wide range in subject. They are by mathematicians acknowledged by their peers as outstanding creators whose work has added richly to the discipline. Each article is preceded by a brief biographical sketch of the author and a brief indication of the content. The material is accessible to a wide audience, lay as well as academic.

• Features contributions from renowned mathematicians of the twentieth century • The material is accessible to a wide audience, lay as well as academic • The articles spans a century in time and a wide range in subject, and are preceded by a brief biographical sketch of the author and a précis

I. Mathematics and the intellect: mathematics and thinking mathematically Mary Cartwright; Mathematical invention Henri Poincaré; Thought on the heuristic method Jacques Hadamard; Mathematical proof G. H. Hardy; The unity of knowledge Hermann Weyl; 2. Mathematics and human understanding: mathematics and the arts Marston Morse; Intuition, reason, and faith in science George D. Birkhoff; Logic and the understanding of nature David Hilbert; The cultural basis of mathematics Raymond Wilder; 3. Mathematics and society: Presidential address to the British Association J. J. Sylvester; The mathematician J. von Neumann; The community of scholars Andre Lichnerowica; History of mathematics: why and how André Weil; 4. Miscellaneous: does God exist? Paul Levy; Goethe and mathematics Wilhelm Maak; Leonardo and mathematics Francesco Severi; The highest good Norbert Wiener.