When Einstein Walked with Gödel: Excursions to the Edge of Thought

The language of science, like the language of music or architecture, is a special sign system imbued with philosophical meaning. Not everyone can understand musical harmony, not everyone will see the antique elegance and symbolism in a simple formula. Meanwhile, Plato believed that those who can appreciate the eternal and perfect beauty of the mathematical sciences “develop a desire to reproduce it—not biologically, but intellectually, to ‘be relieved of the burden’ through beautiful ideas and theories.” And inspired by it, scientists became the heroes of this audiobook. Just think of nothing but “Mandelbrot’s fractals with their exquisite patterns,” Emmy Noether’s abstract algebra, or a Gödel universe without time.