资源描述：
《The Two Cultures of Mathematics外文》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、TheTwoCulturesofMathematics.W.T.GowersInhisfamousRedelectureof1959,entitledTheTwoCultures",C.P.Snowarguedthatthelackofcommunicationbetweenthehumanitiesandthescienceswasveryharmful,andheparticularlycriticizedthoseworkinginthehumanitiesfortheirlackofunderstand-ingofscien
2、ce.Oneofthemostmemorablepassagesdrawsattentiontoalackofsymmetrywhichstillexists,inamilderform,fortyyearslater:AgoodmanytimesIhavebeenpresentatgatheringsofpeoplewho,bythestandardsofthetraditionalculture,arethoughthighlyeducatedandwhohavewithconsiderablegustobeenexpressin
3、gtheirincredulityattheilliteracyofscientists.OnceortwiceIhavebeenprovokedandhaveaskedthecompanyhowmanyofthemcoulddescribetheSecondLawofThermodynamics.Theresponsewascold:itwasalsonegative.YetIwasaskingsomethingwhichisaboutthescienti cequivalentof:HaveyoureadaworkofShakes
4、peare's?Iwouldliketoarguethatasimilarsociologicalphenomenoncanbeobservedwithinpuremathematics,andthatthisisnotanentirelyhealthystateofa airs.Thetwocultures"Iwishtodiscusswillbefamiliartoallprofessionalmathematicians.Looselyspeaking,Imeanthedistinctionbetweenmathematici
5、answhoregardtheircentralaimasbeingtosolveproblems,andthosewhoaremoreconcernedwithbuildingandunderstandingtheories.Thisdi erenceofattitudehasbeenremarkedonbymanypeople,andIdonotclaimanycreditfornoticingit.Aswithmostcategorizations,itinvolvesacertainoversimpli cation,butn
6、otsomuchastomakeituseless.Ifyouareunsuretowhichclassyoubelong,thenconsiderthefollowingtwostatements.(i)Thepointofsolvingproblemsistounderstandmathematicsbetter.(ii)Thepointofunderstandingmathematicsistobecomebetterabletosolveprob-lems.Mostmathematicianswouldsaythatthere
7、istruthinboth(i)and(ii).Notallproblemsareequallyinteresting,andonewayofdistinguishingthemoreinterestingonesistodemonstratethattheyimproveourunderstandingofmathematicsasawhole.Equally,ifsomebodyspendsmanyyearsstrugglingtounderstandadicultareaofmathematics,1butdoesnotact
8、uallydoanythingwiththisunderstanding,thenwhyshouldanybodyelsecare?However,many,andperhapsmost,mathematicianswi
