Abstract
Bertrand Russell once came seriously to the question of why one should study mathematics. The answer he set down exceeded the narrowness of the question and provides an acceptable reason for why one should study anything. I see it, in fact, as a one-sentence statement of philosophy for the concept of a liberal education. Lord Russell writes: “. . . it is well to be reminded that not the mere fact of living is to be desired but the art of living in the contemplation of great things.”1
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Notes
Russell, Mysticism and Logic, p. 55.
Robert Henri, The Art Spirit (New York: Harper & Row, 1951), p. 265.
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© 1992 Jerry P. King
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King, J.P. (1992). Great Things. In: The Art of Mathematics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6339-0_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6339-0_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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