Not only do I think his notion that there is a link between insanity and math research (which I complained about in UPGC and I find no more appealing now that he focuses it only on logicians) is misguided, I disagree with his implication that this story indicates the ultimate failure of logic. However, whereas Papadimitriou (at least his representation in the book) seems to have a mild dislike for Doxiadis' viewpoint, I personally find it very offensive. Perhaps the self-referential aspects of the authors discussing the book in the book and the comparison of these two viewpoints could itself be a selling point. Whereas Doxiadis sees it as a tragedy about the relationship between logic and madness, Papadimitriou sees it as the foundation for the wonderful world of computer science.

However, the authors have very different ideas of the main point. The book is stylishly illustrated, the writing is clear and interesting, and the math (such as it is) is essentially correct. (For instance, somewhere in the middle Papadimitriou suggests the title.) Moreover, interwoven with the story are scenes featuring the authors and artists as the discuss what form the book should take.

However, to enhance the story, the authors have him interact directly with the people whose work is related to his including Frege, Cantor, Hilbert and Gödel, even though these meetings are not historical. In fact, I did learn a lot about Russell from reading it. It is primarily told from the point of view of Bertrand Russell, and so is almost a biography of this important 20th century mathematician/philosopher. And (in a twist that mimics the ways in which modern logic and computers gain their power by self-reference and introspection) it is the story of the book itself. It is also the story of the twentieth century, of its triumph and tragedy, of its conflicts and contradictions - intellectual and otherwise - of the ideas that defined it and propelled it to its strange destiny.

It is really the story of two friends, Apostolos and myself, as they try to understand the lives and times and ideas of the remarkable people who developed mathematical logic - the science of rigorous reasoning - and to come to grips with the strange fact that so many of them died insane. In an interview (available online here) Papadimitriou says:

Note: This work of mathematical fiction is recommended by Alex for young adults and math majors, math grad students (and maybe even math professors).Ī graphic novel on the history of mathematical logic by the authors of Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture and Turing. (click on names to see more mathematical fiction A list compiled by Alex Kasman ( College of Charleston)Īpostolos Doxiadis / Christos Papadimitriou

Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis