Philip J. Davis Quotes

• One of the endlessly alluring aspects of mathematics is that its thorniest paradoxes have a way of blooming into beautiful theories.

  Philip J. Davis

  Beautiful, Math, Science

  Philip J. Davis, William G. Chinn (1985). “3.1416 and all that”, Birkhauser

  48 Copy quote

• One began to hear it said that World War I was the chemists' war, World War II was the physicists' war, World War III (may it never come) will be the mathematicians' war.

  Philip J. Davis

  War, Math, World

  Philip J. Davis, Reuben Hersh, Elena Anne Marchisotto (1995). “The Mathematical Experience: Study Edition”, p.104, Springer Science & Business Media

  10 Copy quote

• Most writers on the subject seem to agree that the typical working mathematician is a Platonist on weekdays and a formalist on Sundays.

  Philip J. Davis

  Sunday, Typical, Weekdays

  8 Copy quote

• In the realm of ideas, of mental objects, those ideas whose properties are reproducible are called mathematical objects, and the study of mental objects with reproducible properties is called mathematics.

  Philip J. Davis

  Ideas, Statistics, Study

  Philip J. Davis, Reuben Hersh, Elena Anne Marchisotto (1995). “The Mathematical Experience: Study Edition”, p.441, Springer Science & Business Media

  6 Copy quote

• Blindness to the aesthetic element in mathematics is widespread and can account for a feeling that mathematics is dry as dust, as exciting as a telephone book... Contrariwise, appreciation of this element makes the subject live in a wonderful manner and burn as no other creation of the human mind seems to do.

  Philip J. Davis

  Appreciation, Book, Dust

  Philip J. Davis, Reuben Hersh, Elena Anne Marchisotto (1995). “The Mathematical Experience: Study Edition”, p.185, Springer Science & Business Media

  4 Copy quote

• The numbers are a catalyst that can help turn raving madmen into polite humans.

  Philip J. Davis

  Math, Numbers, Helping

  Philip J. Davis, William G. Chinn (1985). “3.1416 and all that”, Birkhauser

  7 Copy quote

• The inner circle of pure mathematicians will respond to the book with delight.

  Philip J. Davis

  Book, Circles, Delight

  4 Copy quote

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