The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener

I have known about Martin Gardner since the 1970's when I was in High School. Until recently, I had only read one of his books - "Relativity Simply Explained" - which did not impress me. So I didn't read any more of his books. It's as though I went into a good restaurant, ordered the only mediocre dish on my first visit, and never returned. That is, until I stumbled on "The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener." In interviews, Gardner said "Whys" was his favorite of the many books he wrote. If you like to ponder the "eternal questions" (or need to be reminded that there ARE eternal questions that Siri cannot answer), I warmly recommend this book to you. It is provocative and refreshing, even in places where you may disagree. [Chapter 20, entitled "Surprise," is my favorite chapter.] After finishing "Whys," I went on a Gardner binge, ordering and rapidly ingesting 7 more of his books. "Whys" stayed in first place. My first and second runners up are: "The Night is Large" A collection of essays written by Gardner himself. Includes five chapters from "Whys," including Chapter 20. "Great Essays in Science" An eclectic anthology assembled by Gardner from the writings of others, from Darwin to Einstein. Originally published in 1957, re-issued in 1984 with one article dropped and four new ones added. Different from any other science anthology I have read. Strong emphasis on philosophical questions and societal implications. Very much in the spirit of "Whys." _______________________________________________________________ Gardner was best known for his Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American. Over the years, these columns were re-issued in 15 separate books. If you are interested in the math books but don't know where to start, I have two suggestions: 1. The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) sells a CD with pdf files for all 15 books of Gardner's Mathematical Games columns, including the complete Dr. Matrix volume: "Martin Gardner's Mathematical Games: The Entire Collection of His Scientific American Columns on one CD" I bought this CD on the MAA website for $49.95. A good deal if you don't mind reading books on a screen. This CD includes a lengthy biographical interview. 2. If you prefer your books in paper and ink, a compromise is "The Colossal Book of Mathematics," published in 2001. "Colossal" includes the original text of Gardner's Top 50 Mathematical Games columns with updates and bibliographies added to each. Note, however, that "Colossal" does *not* include any of the Dr. Matrix columns. Enjoy!

This was a very readable and wonderful book. I had known that the late-and-great Martin Gardner was a mathematician who wrote an entertaining column for Scientific American for many years, but I had not known that he was so knowledgeable about the thinking over centuries about the "big questions" in life (Does God exist? Is there life after death? Does free will exist? Etc.). His extensive grasp of philosophy and literature, as well as science, made for entertaining and informative reading. The brief humorous remarks sprinkled in here and there were also much enjoyed. The title of the book is derived from the way he has set up the 21 chapters. Each chapter is focused on a major issue and the title of each chapter includes a framing question, "Why I am not..." This is a particularly useful construction for the discussion for scientific readers, since in science one can fundamentally find negative evidence for why a hypothesis is not true, but rarely can one prove the truth of a complex statement. For example, chapter six is entitled, "Free Will: Why I am Not a Determinist or Haphazardist." These thoughtfully-written chapters are 362 pages long, followed by a 32 page postscipt in which Gardner provides updates on each chapter in view of the new edition (1999) of the original book (1983). Then follows 80 pages of detailed and often amusing notes on each chapter, and finally a well-constructed index. It was a lot of work for Gardner to put all this together, and one can see that it was a labor of love. I can strongly recommend this book to a thoughtful and mature reader. I have already mentioned it to my physician and scientist colleagues.

Martin Gardner's The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener is a worthwhile read for anyone grappling with life's big questions. The most redeeming quality is the insight it provides into the author's complex reasoning processes. Mr. Gardner tackles most of the major topics in philosophy and describes exactly how he formed his personal belief system. While I don't agree with all of his conclusions, particularly concerning theism, the depth of thought is refreshing. The world would be a better place if this level of introspection were to become commonplace. Another redeeming quality is that the book is, for the most part, polemic free. Mr. Gardner doesn't attempt to persuade readers with rhetoric. As he states on page 352, "I find no urgency in persuading anyone of anything". Because of this, it's a great resource for those with nascent opinions. In spite of the redeeming qualities above, I could only give the book a 4-star rating. It is a laborious read that could be 30% shorter without losing any meaning. At times, the many source quotes feel more than a collection of facts than a narrative. This is not a source for the time-constrained reader.

Tres bon auteur en matiere de magie