Too much contemplation of the infinite can damage your health. Amir Aczel, in
The Mystery of the Aleph, makes this clear in what is mostly the
biography of the celebrated George Cantor, who became intermittently mad while
grappling with the rarefied mathematics of transfinite numbers. Theoretical
mathematicians will revel in this well-written, witty book and even
non-mathematicians will be carried along by a narrative with the pace of a
thriller. Published by Four Walls Eight Windows, $24.95, ISBN
156858105X.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Space
What to read this week: Emma Chapman's mind-expanding Radio Universe
Culture
Technology
Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends Jamie Bartlett's insightful How to Talk to AI
Culture
Technology
Two excellent new sci-fi novels tackle robots in very different ways
Culture
Life
What to read this week: Beyond Inheritance by Roxanne Khamsi
Culture
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
Are Neanderthals descendants of modern humans?
2
Why the right kind of stress is crucial for your health and happiness
3
We might finally know how to use quantum computers to boost AI
4
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
5
Hospital-acquired pneumonia reduced by daily toothbrushing
6
Electric vehicle owners could earn thousands by supporting power grid
7
How autoimmune conditions can unexpectedly drive mental illness
8
The rise, the fall and the rebound of cyclic cosmology
9
Iodised salt has become uncool but many of us need to eat more iodine
10
Parrot uses his broken beak to become a dominant male
