In his 1940 book-length essay, A Mathematician's Apology, eminent British mathematician G. H Hardy minimizes the importance of those who communicate mathematics to those outside the research community ... the book's opening paragraph is show below . . . it concludes with "Exposition, criticism, appreciation. is work for second rate minds."
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| The complete essay is available online here |
While I have admiration for the achievements of Hardy -- and of other mathematical stars -- I think that the reach of their important achievements depends on the energy and communication-efforts of many writers and teachers and artists -- and bloggers. The links in a network are important, not only the vertices! Here are links to several outreaching resources (and many others may be found here in this blog):
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Math with Bad Drawings (mathy cartoons)
The BRIDGES Math-Arts Organization Website (Papers Archive link)
Let's Play Math
American Mathematical Society Blogs
I have mentioned my disagreement with Hardy's view in several earlier posts and this poem by Edwin Markham (1852-1940) again seems relevant:
Outwitted by Edwin Markham
He drew a circle that shut me out--
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
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