Mathematics for Human Flourishing - Francis Su

Winner of the Mathematics Association of America's 2021 Euler Book Prize, this is an inclusive vision of mathematicsits beauty, its humanity, and its power to build virtues that help us all flourish For mathematician Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. To miss out on mathematics is to live without experiencing some of humanity’s most beautiful ideas. In this profound book, written for a wide audience but especially for those disenchanted by their past experiences, an awardwinning mathematician and educator weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show how mathematics meets basic human desiressuch as for play, beauty, freedom, justice, and loveand cultivates virtues essential for human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the stories told here, reveal how mathematics is intimately tied to being human. Some lessons emerge from those who have struggled, including philosopher Simone Weil, whose own mathematical contributions were overshadowed by her brother’s, and Christopher Jackson, who discovered mathematics as an inmate in a federal prison. Christopher’s letters to the author appear throughout the book and show how this intellectual pursuit canand mustbe open to all.