Redeeming Mathematics: A God-Centered Approach (Poythress)

Author:

Poythress, Vern S.

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SKU:

9781433541100

Publisher:

Crossway

Pages:

200

Binding:

Paperback

Sample:

Sample Pages

Description
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What does God have to do with mathematics?

Everything.

In this book, Vern Poythress argues that the harmony of abstract mathematical truths, the physical world of things, and the personal world of our thinking depends on the existence of the Christian God. Poythress shows that these distinct “perspectives” on mathematics cohere because all three find their origin in God’s consistent character and nature.

Whether it’s simple addition and subtraction or more complex mathematical concepts such as set theory and the nature of infinity, this fascinating book lays a theistic foundation for all mathematical inquiry.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Why God?

Part 1: Basic Questions

God and Mathematics
The One and the Many
Naturalism
The Nature of Numbers

Part 2: Our Knowledge of Mathematics

Human Capabilities
Necessity and Contingency

Part 3: Simple Mathematical Structures

Addition
The Idea of What Is Next
Deriving Arithmetic from Succession
Multiplication
Symmetries
Sets

Part 4: Other Kinds of Numbers

Division and Fractions
Subtraction and Negative Numbers
Irrational Numbers
Imaginary Numbers
Infinity

Part 5: Geometry and Higher Mathematics

Space and Geometry
Higher Mathematics

Appendix A: Secular Theories about the Foundations of Mathematics
Appendix B: Christian Modifications of Philosophies of Mathematics
Appendix C: Deriving Arithmetic
Appendix D: Mathematical Induction
Appendix E: Elementary Set Theory

Author

Vern S. Poythress is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he has taught for over three decades. He has six earned degrees, including a PhD from Harvard University and a ThD from the University of Stellenbosch. He is the author of numerous books on a variety of topics, including biblical interpretation, language, and science.

Endorsement

“Redeeming Mathematics is a valuable addition the growing literature on the relationship between mathematics and Christian belief. Poythress’s treatment of three distinct dimensions of mathematics—as transcendent abstract truths, as part of the physical world, and as comprehensible to human beings—is a unique and helpful addition to the conversation on this relationship. The book is accessible to non-specialists, but even those who are well-versed in these matters will find much to interest and challenge them.” — James Bradley, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Calvin College; author, Mathematics Through the Eyes of Faith; Editor, Journal of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences