An exposition of Euclid, at once laudatory and critical. Berlinski brings out many interesting ideas and touches on the idea of proof and the roots of mathematical constructs. Though I usually delight in his pungent prose, in this book it seems to obscure his developing thesis, to the point that he seems to take no risks, arguing all sides of every question and committing to none.
Perhaps there is a method in this. It could be that at this level of abstraction and at the root of mathematical thinking, the actors are still struggling and there is no clear winner.
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