Mathematics for Human Flourishing

It isn't often I get chills while reading a book. This book is inspiring, empowering, and eye-opening.A quote I love from the first chapter: "Not tapping everyone's potential is a loss for all of us and will limit he ability of future generations to solve the problems they will face". Su views mathematical thinking as an essential component of becoming our best selves.I love this book and thank Francis Su for sharing his vision of a more inclusive flourishing world.

This is a rich and accessible book that articulates the many virtues developed through the study and practice of mathematics that both grow us as people and equip us (along with the mathematical skills themselves) to be a force for good in the world. We often think of the development of math skills and the mastery of mathematical concepts from the vantage point of what they will allow us to achieve without much reflection on the beauty of math itself or its power to both broaden our minds and contribute to human flourishing in unique ways. Dr. Su calls for something more than a one-dimensional view of math that most of us have used (and burned out on at one time or another) without producing or engaging in anything truly meaningful or useful. The book caused me to recall that four of the classic seven liberal arts were connected to mathematics and to reflect on how and when we lost an appreciation for the role of mathematics in freeing us to understand and pursue what is good, true, and beautiful. Seeing the connection between mathematical pursuits on the one hand, and virtue development and human flourishing on the other, frankly makes math far more appealing as an exercise or discipline. Thank you Dr. Su for your book. This should be required reading at classical or liberal arts schools and I recommend it to anyone who is searching for a greater meaning in their own mathematical endeavors.

I read this book on the recommendation of an acquaintance and it was kind of a different book than I have read before. This quote from page 10 summarizes the book’s main theme, “Mathematics helps people flourish. Mathematics is for human flourishing.” What is human flourishing, you may ask. Here’s a quote from the chapter titled “Truth” on page 103, “Truth is a mark of human flourishing. A flourishing society values truth, while oppressive societies suppress it.” The author continues on page 188, “None of us can flourish without a supportive community.”Each chapter in the book explores important concepts and how he sees math contributing to these areas and thus, benefiting humanity. He extends his hope to expand human flourishing through improvements in teaching math as well. From pages 207-208, “Too often, those of us who teach math professionally say, “My job is to teach math,” as if teaching math were only about teaching facts and procedures. We forget that “my job is to teach people” whose experiences often intersect with mathematics in completely different ways than our own experiences do. And that means education has to take into account the whole person…”In addition to each topical chapter, there is an ongoing conversation between the author and an inmate, Chris, who has been studying math from prison. Over time they develop a friendship and excerpts from their correspondence are included in each chapter to illustrate how mathematics is helping Christ to flourish despite his situation. There is also a math puzzle or two in each chapter to challenge the reader to be a math explorer.I would recommend this book to those who wonder why schools should teach more advanced math courses and encourage everyone to look for the math behind technology, medicine, communication, and everything which leads to human flourishing.

As a professional mathematician, I was intrigued to see what Francis Su could say to a general audience. I was blown away by the thoughtful and insightful job he did. My family read it and discussed it recently: included in the discussion were an actress, a psychologist, a data analyst, a real estate agent, and a minister. All got a lot out of it, and our discussion was fascinating because each person shared some way that they were going to think of their own vocation differently because of the book.Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the book is the letter writing between the author and a prisoner. I don't think Su could have had a better object lesson the Chris (the prisoner). Remarkably, each letter seemed to summarize the point that Su wanted to make, and the letters were written before the book came into existence. The book would be well worth reading even if it was just the letters.Anyone who wants to gain a broad sense of what mathematics is all about, or more importantly, anyone who wants to understand how to flourish in life: read this book!

This book was awesome, everyone needs to read this. It had so many profound and powerful ideas to enhance humans around the world. I could not put it down. I feel like a better person for reading this.

What a great subject for a book. Written with care and conviction, and with fun math puzzles to boot, this accessible discussion on how beautifully math can reflect the beauty of human kind is inspiring. I got a couple as gifts for people who teach in math.

It's been too long since I've done mathematics for fun. Reading this book reminded me of why I fell in love with math as a child, and inspired me to continue teaching math to my kid, not as dry material to be mastered, but as a subject to be explored through imagination and play. Loved this book!

Each single chapter is inspiring and motivating. This book is for readers from all walks of life e.g. students, parents, educators, engineers, philanthropists.

This book is awesome. Falls right in line with giving students real world learning )maths in context). It is set out well, easy to read and provides excellent examples for discussion.