A Book Review of "Is God a Mathematician?"

Mario Livio's book, Is God a mathematician?, is a must read. For those who love mathematics, the scope and power of the subject to explain macro and micro relationships will undoubtedly be the book's star feature. For those who wish mathematics did not exist, this book is an easy journey over the centuries through selected successes of mathematics; providing glimpses of efforts borne in curiosity, sustained through hard work and dedication; and at times, overcoming mistaken beliefs and ultimately delivering revelations and unbelievably accurate predictions nature's rules.

The entire book cries to be digested for the selected history and the personal stories of some outstanding participants. But merely reading the first and eighth chapters makes clear the reason for the title, "Is God a mathematician?" Focusing only on omnipresence ¹ and omni potency ², attributes normally reserved for God, Livio cites mathematics' explanatory and predictive powers to expose the underpinning of a wide range of knowledge (the cosmos, medicine, biology, physics, social sciences, and art); thereby earning for it the attributes, omnipresence and omni potency; and thus, providing seed for the question, "Is God a mathematician?"

In latter chapters, the author allows expression to his love of astrophysics and philosophy. But their tones never intimidate. He uses photographs and diagrams effectively to make his points. His shunning of equations and clever use of delightfully provocative expressions keeps the read from humdrum. For instance, he chose the phrase unreasonableness effectiveness of mathematics to expresses the power of mathematical theory to solve problems for which it was not created.

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Physicist Eugene Wigner calls these unexpected achievements of mathematical theory the " empirical law of epistemology". Although this law has not been established, Wigner believes it must be taken on faith or the encouragement and reassurance for a thorough exploration of the laws of nature would not be undertaken. Could this law be a divine gift implied in the command ³ , "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." ?

Is God a mathematician? is a thoughtful book, written with authority and insightful. It is difficult to imagine anyone emerging without uncontained awe after reading it.