Logicomix: An epic search for truth

by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos Papadimitriou

Overview

This exceptional graphic novel recounts the spiritual odyssey of philosopher Bertrand Russell. In his agonized search for absolute truth, Russell crosses paths with legendary thinkers like Gottlob Frege, David Hilbert, and Kurt Gödel, and finds a passionate student in the great Ludwig Wittgenstein. But his most ambitious goal-to establish unshakable logical foundations of mathematics-continues to loom before him. Through love and hate, peace and war, Russell persists in the dogged mission that threatens to claim both his career and his personal happiness, finally driving him to the brink of insanity.

This story is at the same time a historical novel and an accessible explication of some of the biggest ideas of mathematics and modern philosophy. With rich characterizations and expressive, atmospheric artwork, the book spins the pursuit of these ideas into a highly satisfying tale.

Probing and ingeniously layered, the book throws light on Russell's inner struggles while setting them in the context of the timeless questions he spent his life trying to answer. At its heart, Logicomix is a story about the conflict between an ideal rationality and the unchanging, flawed fabric of reality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596914520
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	10/05/2009
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	271,290
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Apostolis Doxadis received a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Columbia University and a Master's Degree in Applied Mathematics from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. He has run a number of successful computer companies, as well as written and directed for both the screen and the stage. The second of his two feature films, Tetriem, won the prize of the International Center for Artistic Cinema at the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival. Mr. Doxiadis lives in Athens, Greece

Christos Papadimitriou is a professor of Computer Science at Cal-Berkeley. He is the author of several books on computer science, as well as the novel Turing: A Novel about Computation.

Editorial Reviews

A delight to the eye and the mind, a result that justifies the years of work invested in it by the authors and illustrators.” —Athens Plus

“This is an extraordinary graphic novel, wildly ambitious in daring to put into words and drawings the life and thought of one of the great philosophers of the last century, Bertrand Russell. The book depicts Russell's fascinating encounters with the great philosophers and logicians of his time. This involves breathtaking excursions into logic, and mathematics, in language we can all understand. Interwoven with these heady ideas is the trajectory of Russell's personal life-his parents and grandparents, his wives, his inner conflicts. The book is a rare intellectual and artistic achievement, which will, I am sure, lead its readers to explore realms of knowledge they thought were forbidden to them.” —Howard Zinn

From the Publisher

Logicomix is witty, engaging, stylish, visually stunning, and full of surprising sound effects, a masterpiece in a genre for which there is as yet no name.

professor of mathematics at Université Pari Michael Harris