Reviews for Once Upon a Number: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories (Allen Lane Science)

The average rating for Once Upon a Number: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories (Allen Lane Science) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-04-18 00:00:00 Shirley Bradford In this book John Allen Paulos applies a meta narrative to the subjective experiences of interpreting language and numbers. His approach shows in the chapter titles: Between Stories and Statistics, Between Subjective Viewpoint and Impersonal Probability, Between Informal Discourse and Logic, Between Meaning and Information, Bridging the Gap Between Narrative and Data. When I scanned the chapter headings before reading the book I assumed that Paulos was going to apply a Thesis/Antithesis/Synthesis model to these areas, but he was aiming for something more comprehensive, and while he makes some insightful points, I didn’t feel he was wholly successful. For one thing, the book is choppy, jumping from one observation to the next, sometimes with connections so tangential the reader is forced to stop and think about how these topics are related. In some places the writing seems like a collection of notes, and sometimes it is a recapitulation of ideas he presented in previous works. And yet, when he is on target he is brilliant and insightful. He discusses Bayesian analysis at several points, and expanded my understanding of how subjective interpretations of probability can both exacerbate cognitive bias and help combat it. I found myself smiling at his recounting of the Bible Code travesty; it reminded me of the famous quote by H.L. Mencken that “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” The fact it became a best seller, that so many were taken in by it, speaks to the pathetic lack of analytical ability in many people. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised though, considering that astrology is a huge business and millions plan their days around what they read in their horoscopes. Each of the chapters presents a different take on the intersection of stories and statistics, and the author discusses wide ranging aspects of the subjective experience of meaning, such as chaos theory and cryptanalysis. Each digression is interesting in its own way, but some of them seem peripheral to the main topic. I wonder if whoever edited the book was too intimidated by the author’s reputation to demand better organization and a greater effort at showing how the various threads are related. I picked up the book because I had read Paulos’ Innumeracy, which I liked very much. This one has some interesting ideas, and some brilliant observations, but it doesn’t hang together well. It reads like the first draft of a different book.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-11-14 00:00:00 Eric Hubbard My statistics teacher, knowing that I was more literary- than mathematically-minded, asked me to read this book for a final project. I can't thank her enough for bridging the gap between math and my interests. A good read indeed!