Musings of the Masters

Raymond Ayoub is a Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania.

• I. Mathematics and the intellect: mathematics and thinking mathematically Mary Cartwright; Mathematical invention Henri Poincaré; Thought on the heuristic method Jacques Hadamard; Mathematical proof G. H. Hardy; The unity of knowledge Hermann Weyl; 2. Mathematics and human understanding: mathematics and the arts Marston Morse; Intuition, reason, and faith in science George D. Birkhoff; Logic and the understanding of nature David Hilbert; The cultural basis of mathematics Raymond Wilder; 3. Mathematics and society: Presidential address to the British Association J. J. Sylvester; The mathematician J. von Neumann; The community of scholars Andre Lichnerowica; History of mathematics: why and how André Weil; 4. Miscellaneous: does God exist? Paul Levy; Goethe and mathematics Wilhelm Maak; Leonardo and mathematics Francesco Severi; The highest good Norbert Wiener.

' ... a collection of articles written by renowned mathematicians of the 20th century. An important criterion ... is that the articles should be accessible to the literate reader who may or may not have a technical knowledge of mathematics.' L'enseignement mathematique