Morris Kline: Mathematics for the People Morris Kline (1908-1992) had a powerful and forceful personality, which he brought to his position as Professor at New York University from 1952 to 1975, and to his role as the driving force behind Dover's mathematics reprint program for much longer, from the 1950s to only a few years before his death. During those years, Professor Kline was the primary reviewer of mathematical books, filling numerous file drawers with acute, intelligent, and always handwritten remarks and recommendations, whether positive or negative. It was unavoidable that he would imbue the Dover math program, which he helped to begin, with his own point of view that what mattered most was the quality of the books chosen for reprinting, as well as a point of view that emphasized the importance of applications and the utility of mathematics. He argued that books should focus on demonstrating how mathematics may be applied to real-world issues, rather than only creating Read More chevron_right

Morris Kline: Mathematics for the People Morris Kline (1908-1992) had a powerful and forceful personality, which he brought to his position as Professor at New York University from 1952 to 1975, and to his role as the driving force behind Dover's mathematics reprint program for much longer, from the 1950s to only a few years before his death. During those years, Professor Kline was the primary reviewer of mathematical books, filling numerous file drawers with acute, intelligent, and always handwritten remarks and recommendations, whether positive or negative. It was unavoidable that he would imbue the Dover math program, which he helped to begin, with his own point of view that what mattered most was the quality of the books chosen for reprinting, as well as a point of view that emphasized the importance of applications and the utility of mathematics. He argued that books should focus on demonstrating how mathematics may be applied to real-world issues, rather than only creating intellectual constructs of theoretical interest to mathematicians. Morris Kline published over a dozen works, including Mathematics in Western Culture (Oxford, 1953), Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty (Oxford, 1980), and Mathematics and the Quest for Knowledge (Oxford, 1985).

His Calculus, An Intuitive and Physical Approach, initially published in 1967 and reissued by Dover in 1998, is still a popular text, particularly among readers who want to tackle the sometimes intimidating process of self-study. Arithmetic for the Nonmathematician, published by Dover in 1985, could be considered the definitive math for liberal arts text, having reached more readers during its lengthy life than any other similarly intended text. Mathematics is the key to understanding and mastering our physical, social, and biological worlds, in the author's own words. The art of going wrong with certainty is referred to as logic.

The mathematical theory of ignorance is known as statistics. A proof shows us where we should focus our doubts. ― Morris Kline ― Morris Kline ― Morris Kline &