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A review by rafaela_borges
Indiscrete Thoughts by Gian-Carlo Rota
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Rota is quite a character lol
I know nothing about mathematics, even though it was my favorite subject in school and I sometimes wish I was smart enough to learn it more deeply (my adult brain problem can't even handle 4th grade math 😬). But I do enjoy reading about mathematicians and I find them very inspiring (André Weil is the one who interests me the most and who has made me want to learn more about them).
Anyway, back to the book!
I've never heard of Rota before reading Stan Ulam's Adventures of a Mathematician (which I recommend to everyone), but his character kind of shines through the pages. He doesn't hold any punches and is very frank about his colleagues, which I appreciate, even though he doesn't seem like an easy person to deal with either. I was actually surprised when he said that he angered a lot of people because of this section, since (in my mind) scientists tend to be very thick-skinned and disagreeable.
The first third of the book is about Rota's peers, including a very moving, emotional chapter about his friend Stan Ulam. Not gonna lie, but I didn't expect that level of sentimentality from a mathematician (no offense lol I'm not sentimental either), and I thought it was a very nice surprise and the strongest part the book. It's not just "gossip", though, because Rota also talks about how mathematicians get to know each other and want to know their bottom lines, for example. Despite being clueless about math, I enjoyed those discussions a lot and was able to get something out of them.
[I thought it was a bit funny that Rota said Ulam was self-centered, had an overpowering personality etc., while Ulam said, in his own autobiography, that he liked Rota because they had very similar personalities 😆]
The second part of the book focus on philosophical discussions. I had to skip and skim through most of it, because apparently they bore me *a lot* more than reading about math I don't understand. That said, some parts of it were interesting, like the topics about truth, triviality, mathematical beauty etc. I lack the intellectual baggage, mathematical knowledge and philosophical inclination to appreciate it properly, but I can't say it doesn't have any merit. In this regard, this book is unlike other mathematicians' (auto) biographies, such as Weil's "The Apprenticeship of a Mathematician" (which I love) or "A Beautiful Mind" about John Nash, which most people can read and enjoy despite having no mathematical background.
The third and final part of Indiscrete Thoughts becomes readable again. It focus on advice about lectures (which I liked), book reviews, and a collection of some random thoughts about math.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but not as much as I had expected. It's too heavy on mathematics for me, but since it's not the book's (or the author's) fault, I don't think it's fair do give it a low rating or anything. Still, I really recommend the first part of the book for everyone interested in mathematicians.
I know nothing about mathematics, even though it was my favorite subject in school and I sometimes wish I was smart enough to learn it more deeply (my adult brain problem can't even handle 4th grade math 😬). But I do enjoy reading about mathematicians and I find them very inspiring (André Weil is the one who interests me the most and who has made me want to learn more about them).
Anyway, back to the book!
I've never heard of Rota before reading Stan Ulam's Adventures of a Mathematician (which I recommend to everyone), but his character kind of shines through the pages. He doesn't hold any punches and is very frank about his colleagues, which I appreciate, even though he doesn't seem like an easy person to deal with either. I was actually surprised when he said that he angered a lot of people because of this section, since (in my mind) scientists tend to be very thick-skinned and disagreeable.
The first third of the book is about Rota's peers, including a very moving, emotional chapter about his friend Stan Ulam. Not gonna lie, but I didn't expect that level of sentimentality from a mathematician (no offense lol I'm not sentimental either), and I thought it was a very nice surprise and the strongest part the book. It's not just "gossip", though, because Rota also talks about how mathematicians get to know each other and want to know their bottom lines, for example. Despite being clueless about math, I enjoyed those discussions a lot and was able to get something out of them.
[I thought it was a bit funny that Rota said Ulam was self-centered, had an overpowering personality etc., while Ulam said, in his own autobiography, that he liked Rota because they had very similar personalities 😆]
The second part of the book focus on philosophical discussions. I had to skip and skim through most of it, because apparently they bore me *a lot* more than reading about math I don't understand. That said, some parts of it were interesting, like the topics about truth, triviality, mathematical beauty etc. I lack the intellectual baggage, mathematical knowledge and philosophical inclination to appreciate it properly, but I can't say it doesn't have any merit. In this regard, this book is unlike other mathematicians' (auto) biographies, such as Weil's "The Apprenticeship of a Mathematician" (which I love) or "A Beautiful Mind" about John Nash, which most people can read and enjoy despite having no mathematical background.
The third and final part of Indiscrete Thoughts becomes readable again. It focus on advice about lectures (which I liked), book reviews, and a collection of some random thoughts about math.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but not as much as I had expected. It's too heavy on mathematics for me, but since it's not the book's (or the author's) fault, I don't think it's fair do give it a low rating or anything. Still, I really recommend the first part of the book for everyone interested in mathematicians.