Martin Gardner 1914 - 2010

Feel it necessary to report that Martin Gardner died of natural causes this weekend in Norman, OK., at the age of 95. One of my favorite writers/essayists/thinkers who I blogged on a few occasions here:

http://scienceontap.blogspot.com/2009/07/martin-gardner.html

http://scienceontap.blogspot.com/2009/10/jinn-from-hyperspace.html

http://scienceontap.blogspot.com/2010/04/martin-gardner-again.html

He will be missed, but had an incredible and productive life, leaving behind a treasure-trove of both rich and entertaining writings. He was so much more than a mathematician, but still I'll repeat here a favorite quote (from mathematician Ronald Graham), about him:

“Many have tried to emulate him; no one has succeeded. Martin has turned thousands of children into mathematicians, and thousands of mathematicians into children.”

Lengthy Scientific American profile here:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=profile-of-martin-gardner 

...here another good obituary:

http://usnews.freshcontentengine.com/martin-gardner-obituary/

And here a video on Gardner from David Suzuki's "The Nature of Things" (which focuses on his math and magic interests, but unfortunately leaves out his forays into philosophy and literature):

http://vimeo.com/7176521

Worth noting that, unlike many of his fellow skeptics, Gardner labeled himself a "Mysterian;" one who believes that certain deep scientific problems can never be solved or fully comprehended by the human brain. See more here:

http://www.experiencefestival.com/new_mysterianism

Finally, if by any chance you're unfamiliar with Gardner I especially recommend his essay volume "The Night Is Large" as one great place to become acquainted.


 

Martin Gardner, Again

Vintage Martin Gardner....


Recently finished reading Martin Gardner's last book (2009), another one of his compendiums of previously-published essays entitled, "When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish." I won't do a full review, because readers here already know that any Gardner volume is in my view "A" material, and his essay anthologies, in particular, are slam-dunks (I consider them desserts for the lay science reader, from one of the greatest 20th century thinkers and essayists America has produced). And this volume delights as well, even if one has already previously read most of these pieces in their prior venues.

My one and only teensy beef with Gardner's works are that his book and essay titles are often poorly/weakly chosen, very uninspiring, and even (unfortunately) I think a potential turn-off to new readers! In this particular case the odd title comes from the title of one of the essays in the volume, which in turn comes from a line in a famous piece of poetry/verse, but hardly a title I think that will attract fresh audience.

For anyone who has never read Martin Gardner this is not a bad volume to start with, as in typical fashion he criss-crosses a wide range of subjects in his unpredictable manner (from reading one essay, you can never guess what might be coming in the next essay). There is one chapter of essays on mathematical topics and another on logic, but for readers phobic of such subjects, they are not too heavy, and the other chapters are on politics, religion, literature, and science, exhibiting as always Gardner's amazing breadth of thought and erudition, in short, highly-readable and insightful prose.

Subject matter ranges from Anne Coulter to Isaac Newton (where else in publishing might you find that range!), from G.K. Chesterton to Richard Roberts (evangelist) to Frank Tipler (physicist), to Immanuel Kant, to poetry, the Fibonacci sequence, and the Wizard of Oz. Gardner's forthright (blunt?) opinions on those thinkers or thoughts he finds insufferable are entertaining to read. And as one of the most vocal and incisive "skeptics" of the 20th century (who was often presumed to be a secular humanist), many will find Gardner's 'confessional' chapter, "Why I am Not an Atheist," (originally written almost 30 years ago) on theism or fideism especially intriguing in this day of best-selling non-belief treatises.

This would not be among my favorite anthologies of Gardner's output, but it is a perfectly enjoyable one, and as I say, a straightforward introduction to Gardner's style and approach for anyone unfamiliar with him... and truly, no thinking person should be unfamiliar with him. He is an American gem.

"The Jinn From Hyperspace"

....Essayist Extraordinaire

"The Jinn From Hyperspace" -- Martin Gardner

Regular readers here know I'm a big Martin Gardner fan, especially of his essays. Shortly ago I noted that he has a new book out, but when a local bookstore didn't have it in stock yet, I proceeded to buy his last volume instead which I'd never read: "The Jinn From Hyperspace" (title taken from one of the included essays; unfortunately a number of Gardner books have crummy titles!). It is another delicious, diverse compendium of his pieces previously published elsewhere; and another "A" rating from me (although if you don't like the 'essay' genre, and want books with a beginning, middle, and end, this disjointed volume may not suit you).
The first half of the book centers around a range of science and math topics, while the second half covers a number of diverse writers who are favorites of Gardner. A few chapter highlights:

Chapters 1 and 2 are about False Memory Syndrome, and some of the people whose lives have been devastated by this one-time pop science fad of retrieving memories of abuse from one's childhood or from children themselves using various 'therapeutic' techniques. Gardner's disdain for the matter, which he feels is totally discredited, and for those who practice it, nearly jumps off the page.
The next two chapters are brief positive reviews of 2 books by brilliant, cutting-edge British mathematician/physicist Roger Penrose, with whom Gardner shares a great many viewpoints.
Chapter 7 reviews the mind-boggling Banach-Tarski geometry paradox which delves into the baffling world of infinity, understandable (if at all) only in abstract terms, and not in terms of routine human logic.
Chapter 9 is a defense (in the course of a book review) of "Platonic realism," which presupposes that mathematical concepts are in some sense a real part of the physical universe, versus just being an abstract concoction of the human mind; the latter view is held by a surprising (even if minority) number of distinguished mathematicians, who oddly would argue that essentially mathematics is not 'real.'
Chapter 12 all-too-briefly addresses Newcomb's Paradox, one of the most famous and hotly-debated conundrums in all of logic/philosophy (dealing with prediction/causation).
Chapter 15 reviews a fascinating-sounding novel, "Popco" by Scarlett Thomas, that interweaves a significant amount of recreational mathematics into the plot.
Chapter 18 is a review of Lee Smolin's "The Trouble With Physics," which argues in part that 'string theory' ain't all it's cracked up to be; and indeed more and more physicists are leaning that way recently, though the verdict is still out.
Chapter 19 is another favorite of mine as Gardner reviews Douglas Hofstadter's "I Am a Strange Loop." Both Gardner and I admire Hofstadter's creativity greatly, but both he and I think this volume falls short (I think it's one of the weakest of all Hofstadter's output, even though the focus on 'self-reference' and recursion feels right, but seems mishandled). And I agree with Gardner that Hofstadter's "strong AI (artificial intelligence)" position, that there is no such thing as "consciousness" or "free will" (the brain viewed instead as essentially a machine that will eventually be duplicated by computers), is wrong-headed. I've long been baffled by Hofstadter's viewpoint in this regard and his close association with the similar-thinking Daniel Dennett (personally, I think Dennett over-rated as a philosopher... or maybe I just think all philosophers over-rated, whereas Hofstadter, a cognitive and computer scientist, regularly produces thought-provoking, mind-expanding reflections on his own, just less-so in this volume). Unlike Hofstadter, Gardner, by the way, is a "Mysterian," who believes that computers (as we currently know them) can never acquire the trait of "consciousness."

Moving on, Gardner next confesses his love for the writing of G. K. Chesterton of all folks, in a chapter touching upon several of the British writer's works. The book ends with several chapters devoted to L. Frank Baum ("Wizard of Oz" fame), followed by chapters on various Lewis Carroll works.
If there is another person on the planet who happens to be ensconced by the same disparate set of writers that so enthrall Gardner (he's also a huge fan of Miguel de Unamuno) I'd be curious who it is! These chapters on various writers are made interesting by Gardner's sheer passion for his subject matter, although the science/math/logic essays will always be my preferred pieces.

Like all of Gardner's essay collections one can hardly guess what topics are up ahead when one dives into one these volumes. Gardner's mind is so fertile he moves easily from science to math and logic to philosophy to psychology or pop culture or literature, and anywhere in-between. Whether you agree or disagree with the positions he takes, it will be hard to argue with the deftness and consistency of his thought, and the breadth of his erudition is simply astounding.

When Albert Einstein died there was much interest in studying his dissected brain to try and understand what produced his genius. To be honest (and not meaning to be too morbid about it here) I think studying Gardner's remarkable polymath brain might one day be of even greater interest, were that feasible. In the meantime, this coming Wednesday, he celebrates his 95th birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MG!!!


ADDENDUM: In a stroke of good timing the NY Times just published a nice piece on Mr. Gardner today HERE.
(And I love this quote from the article: “Many have tried to emulate him; no one has succeeded,” says Ronald Graham, a mathematician at the University of California, San Diego. “Martin has turned thousands of children into mathematicians, and thousands of mathematicians into children.”)

New Gardner Book

Martin Gardner, one of the finest science and philosophy essayists in the country (even in his 90's) has a new volume out:

"When You Were a Tadpole and I was a Fish: And Other Speculations About This and That"

Gotta be good!!

Martin Gardner

Author blurb today: Martin Gardner....

In the view of many, Martin Gardner is easily one of the greatest science/philosophy essayists of all time, and still with us occasionally writing in his nineties. He has been called "a national treasure." Some readers know him only from his recreational math writings, which while outstanding, represent only a portion of his incredible, insightful production. Gardner's breadth and depth of knowledge is phenomenal, and his ability to cut through verbiage to focus on essential points and ideas unsurpassed (and all the more remarkable given that he attained a bachelor's degree in philosophy, but never an advanced degree in math or any science). His wit and sense of humor are treats as well.

Two of my very favorite works of his (straight-out "A's") come from the late '90s:

"The Night Is Large" --- a compilation of (philosophical, skeptical, and science) essays he wrote on all manner of topics from 1938 to 1995, that still stand up well today. A GREAT introduction to Gardner if you've not read him before. A great re-read if you are familiar with Gardner.

and,

"The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener" --- possibly the most under-appreciated, even little-known, and yet among the best (though most poorly-titled), works he ever produced, laying out his own philosophical underpinnings (the postscript and notes are almost as interesting as the text, which is admittedly dry in parts). He surprised many here by revealing himself as a "fideist" --- a theist who believes in God while admitting there is no basis in reason or logic for doing so; the only basis stirs from other non-rational parts of the human psyche.
Gardner is also a self-proclaimed adherent of the "New Mysterianism," asserting that an understanding of "consciousness" is likely forever beyond the human brain (versus the more reductionist view that consciousness can ultimately be explained by the actions of firing neurons). I concur with this basic notion that the brain cannot understand itself ("if the brain was so simple that we could understand it, than we would be so simple that we couldn't," as one aphorism puts it). Although many of Gardner's critical views are well-known, others of his views are unpredictable and surprising.

I sometimes find Gardner's stated criticisms in certain areas to be overwrought (much of his criticism of the "General Semantics" movement for example, I think is off-base), yet there is no writer that I might disagree with who I'd more anxiously read and respect than Martin Gardner. Any volume of his essays is a rich and thought-provoking delight. In my view, forget Shakespeare, Gardner ought be required reading for every high-schooler in America!

Wikipedia entry HERE.
Older online interview HERE.

Addendum: HERE, I've reviewed his book "The Jinn From Hyperspace."