Mathematics - Its place and role in our society

摘要

Gauss was, of course, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time; and the author of the couplet too was in all probability a mathematician; and their perceptions in this matter may well be at variance with those of outsiders. It is my hope that what I have to say here will help you a little to understand what underlies the mathematicians' claim for their field. 'What is mathematics?' The answer to this question is of course complex; there are elaborate elucidations, some excellent, on the subject but inevitably, even the best accounts give incomplete answers. Any attempt to answer that question will necessarily involve a substantial discussion on the role and place of mathematics in society.