Mathematics for Human Flourishing by Francis Su, with reflections by Christopher Jackson
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n 2017, as outgoing president of the Mathematical Association of America, Francis Su gave a farewell address that became one of the high points of the Joint Mathematics Meetings. It was more than just a talk, and Su noted that people reacted in ways he didn’t expect. He realized that there is a need, ‘‘even among those who do math for a living, to talk about our longings for the common good, and the need for us to be better human beings to one another.’’ This talk was the beginning of a bigger endeavor: to describe mathematics for human flourishing. What does it mean to flourish? And how does mathematics contribute to flourishing? The answers to these questions form the core of Mathematics for Human Flourishing. But there is much more in this timely book—a book that makes the question ‘‘When are we ever going to use this?’’ irrelevant. Flourishing should not be equated with believing that mathematics makes you a better person; rather, it is understanding that
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the pursuit of mathematics can, if grounded in human desires, build aspects of character and habits of mind that will allow you to live a more fully productive life and experience the best of what life has to offer. Those aspects of character and habits of mind are exploration, meaning, play, beauty, permanence, truth, struggle, power, justice, freedom, community, and love. Some of these may surprise you. Though the role mathematics plays in developing the ability to explore and to struggle are likely clear, the role mathematics plays in teaching you about (to choose just three) play, beauty, or community might be harder to see. Each chapter begins with quotations from well-known authorities, including Simone Weil, Martin Buber, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Each chapter ends with a reflection by Christopher Jackson, who introduces himself early on in the book as ‘‘an inmate at United States Penitentiary McCreary in Pine Knot, Kentucky,’’ who has ‘‘developed an acute interest in studies and books concerning philosophy, mathematics, finance, economics, business and politics.’’ Jackson’s reflections add new insights to every chapter and
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are a wonderful complement to the rest of the book. We see how mathematics has helped him to flourish, and we learn, toward the end of the book, that he is helping others to flourish as well. Writing more about his reflections would spoil the fun of reading them, and I will try not to do that. But to give a better sense of the book, let’s look at how the three aspects mentioned above aid human flourishing through mathematics. Play is ‘‘hard to define,’’ though Su can settle on some distinguishing characteristics: it should be voluntary, meaningful, have some structure, but allow freedom within that structure. While many nonmathematicians might have trouble recognizing the playful side of mathematics, many of these same people begin their day by working on a sudoku puzzle. Two of the best-selling games of all times are Clue/Cluedo and Battleship, and the top-selling game is chess. People actually love to play games that us
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