Gh hardy a mathematicians apology

1940 essay by British mathematician G. H. Hardy

A Mathematician's Apology is a 1940 essay by British mathematician G.

H. Hardy which defends the pursuit of mathematics for its own sake.

Gh hardy a mathematicians apology

Central to Hardy's "apology" – in the sense of a formal justification or defence (as in Plato's Apology of Socrates) – is an argument that mathematics has value independent of its applications. Hardy located this value in what he called the beauty of mathematics and gave some examples of and criteria for mathematical beauty.

The book also includes a brief autobiography which gives insight into the mind of a working mathematician.

Background

Hardy wished to justify his life's work in mathematics for two reasons.

Firstly, having survived a heart attack and being at the age of 62, Hardy knew that he was approaching old age and that his mathematical creativity and skills were declining. By devoting time to writing the Apology, Hardy was admitting that his own ti