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Article 5262 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: long@next3.acme.ucf.edu (Richard Long)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Peano and the commerce of ideas and representatio
Message-ID: <1992Apr25.002101.4501@cs.ucf.edu>
Date: 25 Apr 92 00:21:01 GMT
References: <558@trwacs.fp.trw.com>
Sender: news@cs.ucf.edu (News system)
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 48

In article <558@trwacs.fp.trw.com> erwin@trwacs.fp.trw.com (Harry Erwin)  
writes:
> chalmers@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (David Chalmers) writes:
> 
> >In article <556@trwacs.fp.trw.com> erwin@trwacs.fp.trw.com (Harry Erwin)  
writes:
> 
> >>There was an enjoyable book published many years ago titled "Arithmetic
> >>Made Complicated" (or something similar), which took a category- theoretic
> >>view of "simple" arithmetic, introducing such concepts as universal
> >>objects and commutative diagrams.
> 
> >_Mathematics Made Difficult_, by Carl E. Linderholm; Wolfe (London), 1971.
> >One of the funniest books in existence.
> 
> Thanks, Dave. I found it in a library and have never been able to buy it.
> Perhaps I should have stolen it when I had the chance. Agreed, for a
> modern mathematician, one of the funniest books in existence, but it also
> provided one of the most understandable introductions to category theory
> I've ever seen. (It's not accidental that we used to refer to CT as
> Abstract Nonsense.) Of course, I'm biased, since I learned real analysis
> from Errett Bishop.

I came across this book at the public library while I was in high school back  
in 1979.  It influenced me greatly.  I thought it one of the funniest and at  
the same time most profound books in existence (still do; the section called  
"Guess the next number" prompted me to think along the lines of Chaitin's  
algorithmic complexity before I knew of his work), but my first wife stole it  
out of the library about 1982 and lost it.  I have been looking for it ever  
since in used and rare bookstores, etc.  Finally, I got a copy through  
interlibrary loan and photocopied the whole thing (I don't feel bad about  
copyright infringement, although I probably should, but then I did try my best  
to make an honest purchase, (unlike my ex-wife ;))  

Anyone know if it is still being published, and by whom?  If not, maybe we  
should take up a petition to demand its re-release (of course, the question of  
who we should send the petition to is problematic, but first things first).  

One thing that I forgot to photocopy was the back cover, which I dearly regret  
now.  It had a picture and a hilarious short biography.  I think that I must  
buy it after all.

No, I didn't divorce her because she lost the book.  At least, I don't think  
that was the reason...

Richard Long: long@next1.acme.ucf.edu
IST/UCF
Orlando, FL


