2017 Winner
Starry Reckoning
Reference and Analysis in Mathematics and Cosmology
by
Emily Grosholz
This book is a further development of the ideas in two earlier books by Emily Grosholz. Her 1991 book: Cartesian Method and the Problem of Reduction is based on the notion that ideas can develop through bringing together two, formally separated, domains. The obvious example is Descartes’ development of analytic geometry through bringing together classical geometry and algebra. Her 2007 book: Representation and Productive Ambiguity in Mathematics and the Sciences introduces another quite novel idea, namely that mathematical systems are always ambiguous, and that this ambiguity helps with the development of new mathematical ideas. The present book is the culmination of her research in this field. It introduces the key notions of analysis and reference, and develops them in a way, which makes use of her earlier ideas.