Mathematica
A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity
Published on 22. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
344 pages
978-0-300-28328-0 (ISBN)
Description
A fascinating look into how the transformative joys of mathematical experience are available to everyone, not just specialists
Math has a reputation for being inaccessible. People think that it requires a special gift or that comprehension is a matter of genes. Yet the greatest mathematicians throughout history, from Rene Descartes to Alexander Grothendieck, have insisted that this is not the case. Like Albert Einstein, who famously claimed to have "no special talent," they said that they had accomplished what they did using ordinary human doubts, weaknesses, curiosity, and imagination.
David Bessis guides us on an illuminating path toward deeper mathematical comprehension, reconnecting us with the mental plasticity we experienced as children. With simple, concrete examples, Bessis shows how mathematical comprehension is integral to the great learning milestones of life, such as learning to see, to speak, to walk, and to eat with a spoon.
Focusing on the deeply human roots of mathematics, Bessis dispels the myths of mathematical genius. He offers an engaging initiation into the experience of math not as a series of discouragingly incomprehensible logic problems but as a physical activity akin to yoga, meditation, or a martial art. This perspective will change the way you think not only about math but also about intelligence, intuition, and everything that goes on inside your head.
Math has a reputation for being inaccessible. People think that it requires a special gift or that comprehension is a matter of genes. Yet the greatest mathematicians throughout history, from Rene Descartes to Alexander Grothendieck, have insisted that this is not the case. Like Albert Einstein, who famously claimed to have "no special talent," they said that they had accomplished what they did using ordinary human doubts, weaknesses, curiosity, and imagination.
David Bessis guides us on an illuminating path toward deeper mathematical comprehension, reconnecting us with the mental plasticity we experienced as children. With simple, concrete examples, Bessis shows how mathematical comprehension is integral to the great learning milestones of life, such as learning to see, to speak, to walk, and to eat with a spoon.
Focusing on the deeply human roots of mathematics, Bessis dispels the myths of mathematical genius. He offers an engaging initiation into the experience of math not as a series of discouragingly incomprehensible logic problems but as a physical activity akin to yoga, meditation, or a martial art. This perspective will change the way you think not only about math but also about intelligence, intuition, and everything that goes on inside your head.
Reviews / Votes
A Project Syndicate Book of the Year 2025"Bessis makes the provocative claim that whether you realize it or not, you're constantly doing math-and that you're capable of expanding your mathematical abilities far beyond what you think possible."-Kelsey Houston-Edwards, Quanta Magazine
"Anyone, especially those who fear math, can draw solace and inspiration from the book."-Hari Balasubramanian, 3 Quarks Daily
"I want to tell my listeners right now that the goal of this interview is to get you to read this book. I've read it twice . . . I mean every word. . . . I found the book electrifying."-Russ Roberts, EconoLib (podcast)
"Bessis argues that rigor is not the opposite of intuition; instead, it is intuition's quality control. Economics needs to follow the same path: less scientism about its methods and more honesty about where its insights actually come from."-Shruti Rajagopalan, Project Syndicate, "Commentators' Best Reads in 2025"
"One of the most wonderful things I've read in a very, very long time."-Steven Strogatz, author of Infinite Powers
"In this revealing book, David Bessis leads us on an earnest and personal journey into how to think mathematically: a process of exploration, making mistakes, and gradually correcting and improving one's understanding."-Terence Tao, 2006 Fields Medal laureate
"Absolutely fantastic-a must-read for anyone curious about what happens in our minds when we do mathematics."-Hugo Duminil-Copin, 2022 Fields Medal laureate
"This is a rare specimen: a mathematical self-improvement book. It's full of playful, assertive, inventive coaching for becoming your best mathematical self."-Ben Orlin, author of Math with Bad Drawings
"The inside story on how mathematicians think, how they choose their problems, how they avoid getting discouraged, and why common beliefs about mathematics are wrong. Brilliant, readable, and perceptive."-Ian Stewart, author of What's the Use?
"This is an insightful, illuminating, and thought-provoking book, de-mystifying what it means and feels like to do mathematics."-Eugenia Cheng, author of Is Math Real?, The Joy of Abstraction, and How to Bake Pi
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
40 b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
361 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-28328-0 (9780300283280)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
05/2024
Yale University Press
€28.50
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Persons
David Bessis received his PhD in pure mathematics from University Paris-Cite. After a career at Yale University, CNRS, and Ecole normale superieure (with research topics in algebra, geometry, and topology), his interests shifted from pure mathematics to machine learning, leading him to establish a technology company in this field. He lives in Paris, France. Kevin Frey received a PhD in English from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He lives in Kaneohe, HI.