It is pointless to read the first half of the book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is the book on infinite set.
Continuum hypothesis is not currently proven.

A wonderful history of mankind's grappling with the concept of infinity where mathematics, philosophy and religion intersect in amazing ways. This is a relatively short book but it is packed with fascinating stories about ancient Greek philosophers, kabalists, Galileo, Descartes, Georg Cantor, Kurt Gödel and many others. An excellent read. I'll be sure to read all the other books by Amir D. Aczel.

Inutile fare giri di parole: non mi ha affatto convinto la tesi di Amir Aczel, che in questo suo libro mette insieme misticismo e matematica, e soprattutto decide che chi si occupa troppo degli infiniti impazzisce: non solo Cantor, ma anche Gödel (che dell'ipotesi del continuo si è occupato solo per una piccola parte della sua produzione), e finanche Post e Zermelo, per non parlare di Galileo. (Paul Cohen però no. Chissa perché). Non metto becco sulla parte legata al misticismo; la parte matematica moderna è comunque ben trattata, pur se Gianluigi Olivieri non conosce bene la terminologia matematica italiana parlando di insiemi contabili anziché numerabili e dell'assioma "di" (e non "della") scelta; ma su quella antica c'è da mettersi le mani nei capelli, con Archimede che avrebbe calcolato il volume di un cono inscritto in una sfera mentre in realtà era una sfera inscritta in un cilindro (e no, questo non è un errore di traduzione, è così anche nell'originale). Sul fronte positivo, il libro può essere utile a chi si è fermato ai paradossi "facili" sull'infinito, come l'albergo di Hilbert, e vuole avere un'idea di cosa sia l'ipotesi del continuo e come la comunità matematica è riuscita a gestire la sua (non-)dimostrazione.

an interesting book about the history of math, in particular about cardinal numbers (sizes of infinity) as well as logic. i gave it a five not because it is perfect but because it is a good book for someone looking for an introduction to mathematical analysis. the density of Q and R-Q, sets of measure zero, comparing "infinities", completeness and other topics are not necessarily discussed in depth here, but notions are introduced to allow the reader to move into move advanced topics. not a substitute for a textbook and i didnt find the spiritual aspects of the book very interesting but overall it is a very informative casual math book. no math knowledge needed.

This is an interesting book about the mathematics of infinite sets in general, and about Gregory Cantor and some other mathematicians who have studied this field in particular. Before one blanches at the phrase "mathematics of infinite sets", be advised that this book is written for a public audience and is really quite readable. This is because several of the basic facts about infinite sets, for instance that there are as many even integers as integers, and as many rational numbers as integers, but that the set of all real numbers is infinitely more numerous than the set of integers, are all quite easy to demonstrate. Amir Aczel presents these proofs in a very readable manner.

The book includes lots of background color -- Aczel shows how the "mystery" of the infinite has a very long pedigree, ranging from the ancient Pythagorean Greek school and the Jewish Kabbalah to the forefront of modern mathematics. Of particular interest in his detailed biographical sketch of various mathematicians involved, especially Gregory Cantor, the "father" of modern set theory.

My only objection is that the author, perhaps in an effort to "spice up" the book with melodrama, went too far in associating the study of the infinite with mental illness. For example, Aczel noted that the Kabbalah was studied only by a few elect because it was considered "too dangerous" for the inexperienced. He also wrote at length about Cantor's increasing mental instability and his eventual death in a mental hospital, and also about Godel, who also had some difficulties in this area. But there are lots of very "normal" people who have also studied and published in this area, including several mentioned in this book. Making too much of such illnesses leads to a reinforcement of the stereotype, brought to the public view with the movie about John Nash, that mathematicians are "crazy". I wish this aspect of the book had been more "subdued".

This books gives a history of thinking about Infinity, both in a mathematical as in a philosophical and religious meaning. It is also a biography of George Cantor, a mathematician who developed many of the ideas of infinity in mathematics. It is an interesting story about the work of mathematicians.

No Math knowledge is needed to understand this book, but if you know a bit about classical analysis it gives a view of the people behind the theorems.

The philosophical angle is the question: what is the basis of numbers, nature or man?

The book also gives some information on the Jewish Kaballa as related to the infinite. Both Cantor and Gödel, another mathematician who worked on the infinite, have Jewish roots.

The book made me think about infinity, in a good way. It helped to put my knowledge in historical perspective.

I listened to the audio-version, which partly made it harder, because it is more difficult to go back and reread some parts. On the other hand, the voice on this audio-book is a pleasant voice to listen to.

Infinity -- and the related idea of mathematical continuity -- turns out to be one of the most valuable keys to understanding reality. But it's also one of its deepest mysteries.

If you like math, and proving theories, this is the book for you. At least a historical story about proving infinity and the continuum. Some theories bring in the proof or proving of God and his eternal infinite existence. It was an interesting read about these men who took on trying to prove it mathematically.

could not understand much of it but i'm glad i read it.

What a great book on the Kabbalah, the mathematics of infinity, and mental illness!

3/5 is only because the audiobook did not work for me.

A good book for sure. However, for me, the medium of an audiobook for this tome was not a good idea. While the book does not go too deeply into the mathematics of Infinity, it would still have served me better to read it from an ebook so that I could spend some time understanding the points being made. The performance was ok and I did hear the whole audiobook and got a rough idea of the history of infinity. I foresee that the ebook is something I will be buying soon.

This wouldnt seem to be a book that would go under cross-cultural spirituality. It is.
It depends on how much you are trying to understand. Ultimately, deep study takes you to almost every discipline and science, hard and soft.