Gödel: A Life of Logic

Rating:
Summary: Not really a biography, but not that bad either.
Review: Although I may be biased (having just read Ray Monk's excellent biography of Wittgenstein 'The Duty of Genius'), I really don't see that this is a biography of Kurt Gödel. Rather, it seems to be an introduction to his ideas and theorems, and their relations to other areas in mathematics and computation. While this is certainly interesting, it is disappointing to someone who is already familiar with these ideas and is looking for more information about Gödel as a person.

However, it is a fairly quick book to read, and the authors do a good job of elucidating what can be fairly difficult material. The last few chapters, for example, provide a compact exposition of just how the Incompleteness Theorem relates to other areas. It is nice to see this in such a brief format.

If you are looking for a good biography, look elsewhere; and if you're looking for a complete exposition of Gödel's ideas, again look elsewhere. But if you just want a nice, brief introduction to Gödel and his ideas, this is a good place to start.

Rating:
Summary: A very good hors d'oeuvre
Review: Casti and DePauli's book is interesting and informative -- a very good hors d'oeuvre but not a main course.

It's too sketchy to qualify as a biography (it's more like a very good encyclopedia article). You will get only the broadest sense of Godel as a person. As it turned out, his main role in life seems to have been that of a purveyor of very bad news. His main claim to fame was the dubious honor of being the one to tell the mathematicians that their idyllic world of faultless logic and ironclad proofs was an illusion. He proved conclusively that all logical systems are incomplete in that they will always contain theorems that cannot be proved by the axioms of that system. His greatness resides in the fact that he saw clearly what all the great minds of his time and before failed to see. In the grips of hypochondria and acute paranoia, he eventually starved himself to death.

The description of Godel's work is also very sketchy, but the fundamentals are adequately presented. At some points it seems overly simplified and at others it seems bewilderingly complicated. On the average it gives an adequate explanation of Godel's Theory of Incompleteness. What I found more interesting were the connections between his work and modern computer technology (including implications for artificial intelligence). It also delves briefly into his relationship with Einstein, his work in the realm of General Relativity, and the more mystical work of his later years at the IAS at Princeton.

Overall, I feel that the authors did a good job of cramming a complex life and a complex life's work into 200 brief pages. They also did a good job of piquing my interest and encouraging me to dig deeper into the life and work of this enigmatic genius.

Rating:
Summary: Biography: no -- Look at his great theorm: YES!
Review: I got to look at the book at a bookstore before I bought it so I knew I wasn't getting a biography. This book is a look at his theorem with comments about his life thrown in to put the work into some human context. For a thurough description of the theorem with a gentle human touch this is the book for you. Casti et al. does a great job of making tough ideas readable. If you want to know more about the theorem that turned mathematics on its head this is it. Not perfect (less talk about cake :-) ) but fun, readable, educational, A shame it is out of print.

Rating:
Summary: Not the real Gödel ?
Review: Sorry, but this book was somewhat a disappointment for me. The authors for the most part keep personal life and work of Gödel separated, instead of seeing them as a unity. A biography has to be the best of both worlds in my opinion. That's what makes the work of a biographical writer a difficult task. Maybe one of the two authors did the biographical part, the other one the mathematical ? And of course, everything about Gödel is great, brillant and alltogether grand. I am missing a critical view on his lifestyle and his view on music e.g.. Appearently the author of the biographical part was so in awe of Gödel, that he didn't dare to critisize anything about Gödel. Ironic, since Gödel stands for the idea, that you are allowed and even have the obligation to question everything to get to the bottom of the truth of things.
I am still waiting for the real biography of Kurt Gödel.

Rating:
Summary: At Best An Overview
Review: This book seems to be put forth as a biography of Godel--at least, that's what I thought I would be getting. As a physics and mathematics teacher, I am very interested in this man who revolutionized 20th century thought. However, only a portion of this already very slight book, is biographical material about Godel. So, if you are looking for a real biography, look elsewhere.

Instead, this book briefly covers Godel's life, briefly covers his work, and briefly covers a few of the effects Godel has had on current thought. In that sense, it is not bad. A person who understands very little about modern mathematical thought but has an interest might find this book digestable and learn a bit. Others are not going to enjoy this book. People with strong backgrounds in mathematics are going to find it too weak and people with weak backgrounds in mathematics are going to find most of it indecipherable.