Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity in Science and Inquiry

Jan 12, 2012 Trevor rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

If one approaches this expecting a primer on Cantor's work with cardinals and ordinals, naive set theory or the CH will surely be disappointed. Those approaching this book that way should feel slightly silly -though Wallace does have a history in propositional calculus (cf. Fate Time and Language: An Essay on Free Will)- the proposed depth of subject matter does not lend itself to elucidation by a fiction writer who self confesses his own failures in most formal mathematics courses. If instead t If one approaches this expecting a primer on Cantor's work with cardinals and ordinals, naive set theory or the CH will surely be disappointed. Those approaching this book that way should feel slightly silly -though Wallace does have a history in propositional calculus (cf. Fate Time and Language: An Essay on Free Will)- the proposed depth of subject matter does not lend itself to elucidation by a fiction writer who self confesses his own failures in most formal mathematics courses. If instead this book is approached as a dialogue with an incredible mind on a fascinating topic whose depth of understanding is cursory at best one will be pleasantly surprised.

Hopefully the above paragraph and my borderline inability to objectively talk about David Foster Wallace will not preclude a serious interpretation of my opining. An interesting trip through the thoughts and musings of one of our generation's most gifted writers, Everything and More is engaging and entertaining. Wallace's conversational tone creates a welcoming environment for intellectual inquiry - not lecturing at but discussing with the reader - often I felt like he was bouncing ideas off the reader. He does justice to the subject matter and provides a wide scope of mathematical inquiry dating back to Zeno's paradoxes and bringing the reader on a interesting journey up to the 20th century.

This book has issues as well. At times the focus is scattered, the prose will lag and some topics are rehashed. Those not already familiar with Wallace's writing will find the verbosity unnecessary and borderline pretentious. There are too many mathematical fiddly bits as Wallace overcomplicates simple issues (e.g. "The Dreaded Constant of Integration") which often just reflect a bumpy ride through Introductory Calculus in college while quickly glossing over more advanced concepts with little or no justification (i.e. the nonlinear aspect of Cantor's mapping), forcing readers to take his word not follow his progression. However if one understands this is a mathematical dilettante's inspired inquires into infinity this will be a great read. ...more

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