One, Two, Three
Absolutely Elementary Mathematics
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Narrated by:
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Byron Wagner
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By:
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David Berlinski
About this listen
From the acclaimed author of A Tour of the Calculus and The Advent of the Algorithm, here is a riveting look at mathematics that reveals a hidden world in some of its most fundamental concepts.
In his latest foray into mathematics, David Berlinski takes on the simplest questions that can be asked: What is a number? How do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division actually work? What are geometry and logic? As he delves into these subjects, he discovers and lucidly describes the beauty and complexity behind their seemingly simple exteriors, making clear how and why these mercurial, often slippery concepts are essential to who we are.
Filled with illuminating historical anecdotes and asides on some of the most fascinating mathematicians through the ages, One, Two, Three is a captivating exploration of the foundation of mathematics: how it originated, who thought of it, and why it matters.
©2011 David Berlinski (P)2011 Random HouseListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“[A] tour de force by a mathematician who wants the intellectually curious and logically minded . . . to understand the foundations and beauty of one of the major branches of mathematics.” (Kirkus Reviews)
"Berlinski here discusses the ‘commons’ of mathematics: natural numbers, zero, negative numbers, and fractions…. The seamless integration of broader contextual ideas brings his writing to life." (Library Journal)
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A Good Read Spoiled
- By David A. Donnelly on 12-23-16
By: David Wootton
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When Einstein Walked with Gödel
- Excursions to the Edge of Thought
- By: Jim Holt
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Does time exist? What is infinity? Why do mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down? In this scintillating collection, Holt explores the human mind, the cosmos, and the thinkers who’ve tried to encompass the latter with the former. With his trademark clarity and humor, Holt probes the mysteries of quantum mechanics, the quest for the foundations of mathematics, and the nature of logic and truth. Along the way, he offers intimate biographical sketches of celebrated and neglected thinkers, from the physicist Emmy Noether to the computing pioneer Alan Turing and the discoverer of fractals, Benoit Mandelbrot.
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A good overview of scientific theory
- By MJ Walters on 09-11-18
By: Jim Holt
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On the Soul & Parva Naturalia
- By: Aristotle
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Two contrasting reflections by Aristotle which cover very particular ground. In 'On the Soul', Aristotle presents his view of the 'life essence' which, he argues, is possessed by living things whether plants, animals or humans. Not a 'soul' in the generally accepted Western use of the term, this 'soul', he says, is a life force that is indivisible from the organism that possesses it.
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DeAnima. Aristotle on the soul.
- By Reader on 07-28-18
By: Aristotle
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The Dream of Reason, New Edition
- A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance
- By: Anthony Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Anthony Gottlieb
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Already a classic, this landmark study of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. Author Anthony Gottlieb looks afresh at the writings of the great thinkers, questions much of conventional wisdom, and explains his findings with unbridled brilliance and clarity. From the pre-Socratic philosophers through the celebrated days of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, up to Renaissance visionaries like Erasmus and Bacon, philosophy emerges here as a phenomenon unconfined by any one discipline.
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Bias spoils the work.
- By MC on 08-21-20
By: Anthony Gottlieb
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The Landscape of History
- How Historians Map the Past
- By: John Lewis Gaddis
- Narrated by: Jack Chekijian
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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What is history, and why should we study it? Is there such a thing as historical truth? Is history a science? One of the most accomplished historians at work today, John Lewis Gaddis, answers these and other questions in this short, witty, and humane book. The Landscape of History provides a searching look at the historian's craft as well as a strong argument for why a historical consciousness should matter to us today.
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Excellent Book!
- By Billy on 09-15-18
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Where the Conflict Really Lies
- Science, Religion, & Naturalism
- By: Alvin Plantinga
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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This audiobook is a long-awaited major statement by a pre-eminent analytic philosopher, Alvin Plantinga, on one of our biggest debates - the compatibility of science and religion. The last twenty years has seen a cottage industry of books on this divide, but with little consensus emerging. Plantinga, as a top philosopher but also a proponent of the rationality of religious belief, has a unique contribution to make. His theme in this short book is that the conflict between science and theistic religion is actually superficial, and that at a deeper level they are in concord.
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The reader makes or breaks an audiobook.
- By Alec on 02-16-15
By: Alvin Plantinga
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The Dream of Enlightenment
- The Rise of Modern Philosophy
- By: Anthony Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Anthony Gottlieb
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Dream of Enlightenment, Anthony Gottlieb expertly navigates a second great explosion of thought, taking us to northern Europe in the wake of its wars of religion and the rise of Galilean science. In a relatively short period - from the early 1640s to the eve of the French Revolution - Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, and Hume all made their mark. The Dream of Enlightenment tells their story and that of the birth of modern philosophy.
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Enlightenment meets Neuroscience
- By Rodger on 12-05-19
By: Anthony Gottlieb
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The Problems of Philosophy
- By: Bertrand Russell
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The Problems of Philosophy discusses Bertrand Russell's views on philosophy and the problems that arise in the field. Russell's views focus on knowledge rather than the metaphysical realm of philosophy. The Problems with Philosophy revolves around the central question that Russell asks in his opening line of Chapter 1 - Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it?
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Either be smart or be not smart
- By Gary on 01-18-18
By: Bertrand Russell
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The Life of the Mind
- By: Hannah Arendt
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Considered by many to be Hannah Arendt's greatest work, published as she neared the end of her life, The Life of the Mind investigates thought itself, as it exists in contemplative life. In a shift from her previous writings, most of which focus on the world outside the mind, this work was planned as three volumes that would explore the activities of the mind considered by Arendt to be fundamental. What emerged is a rich, challenging analysis of human mental activity, considered in terms of thinking, willing, and judging.
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English only please
- By angela cozea on 11-20-19
By: Hannah Arendt
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Euclid's Window
- The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace
- By: Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Through Euclid's Window Leonard Mlodinow brilliantly and delightfully leads us on a journey through five revolutions in geometry, from the Greek concept of parallel lines to the latest notions of hyperspace. Here is an altogether new, refreshing, alternative history of math revealing how simple questions anyone might ask about space -- in the living room or in some other galaxy -- have been the hidden engine of the highest achievements in science and technology.
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Wow!
- By Eric on 08-13-10
By: Leonard Mlodinow
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The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
- By: Thomas S. Kuhn
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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A good book may have the power to change the way we see the world, but a great book actually becomes part of our daily consciousness, pervading our thinking to the point that we take it for granted, and we forget how provocative and challenging its ideas once were - and still are. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that kind of book.
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The problem is not with the book
- By Marcus on 08-09-09
By: Thomas S. Kuhn
What listeners say about One, Two, Three
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- ImStillThinking
- 02-09-19
Exciting Histories, and Mathematical Proofs
The very beginning of this book is overly wordy, but if you can get past that it gives good insights to the development of the basics of mathmatics.
You learn about the stories of significant mathmaticians, and hear proofs that explain the fundamental aspects of math.
A lessor portion was when actual math was read.
It was sometimes difficult to follow when the actual equations are read. It would have been great if the narrator had slowed down. Even with that occasional difficulty, I feel like the time was well spent (while driving) since I feel it helped my mathmatical understanding.
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2 people found this helpful
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- remington
- 08-28-17
Awesome read/listen
Love this book have read it a few times and listen to it at least twice.
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- Kindle Customer
- 12-21-22
I loved this book.
Learning so much about mathematics history throughout history.
The only improvement suggestion I would have is to say the mathematical formulas in a slower, more emphasized matter.
If the goal is for most people to imagine, or write the mathematical jargon there is no reason to accelerate the algebraic expressions.
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Overall
- Deneatra
- 12-10-17
1, 2, 3
This book was bought to help my son with his anxiety over math. He enjoyed it and has a better understanding of why we need math and how important it is in our everyday lives.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Robert
- 03-20-12
Not a Highly Educational Experience
I am a layman interested in math and science, and I expected this book to dig down into some of the philosophical roots. Instead, I found that it treated subjects in a series of brief vignettes, with little in the way of interesting or exciting concepts. It really did not stay with any particular subject very long. I did not find the brain teasers I was hoping for.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Mr. Anonymous
- 08-13-11
A combination of banal, confusing, and dull
I gave up on this book after the sixth chapter. The subject seemed interesting to me, and the book's description intrigued me -- but I was sorely disappointed. Berlinksi is not a good story teller. His narrative is often disjointed, and he tries too hard to be clever. Much of the discussion seemed too obvious to be interesting, whereas parts were just confusing. Overall, a frustrating experience.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Working Parent
- 08-23-15
Lots of Potential, but very little substance.
What would have made One, Two, Three better?
The author should have spent more time on the subject and less time trying to sound witty. I could almost here the author laughing at his own jokes behind the scenes. I was hoping for something like Zero - A biography of a dangerous idea.
Has One, Two, Three turned you off from other books in this genre?
No, but I don't plan to read or listen to any of the authors other works.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
The narrator neither added nor detracted from the book.
What character would you cut from One, Two, Three?
The books supposed characters, the numbers 1, 2, 3, are already absent. Thus, there are no characters to cut.
Any additional comments?
This author took a fascinating subject and made it really boring.
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3 people found this helpful