Gaurav Suri

This is another book I had high hopes for, based on the blurb and the recommendation of a friend. It has math. It has philosophy. Since those subjects both interest me, it sounded full of potential. But I wound up disappointed. I was so disappointed, I almost didn't finish the book.

My main disappointment is with the plot, which was paper-thin and obvious from the beginning. There's this guy and he, through a few quickly dispensed situations, winds up in college with graduation day approaching. A series of unconvincing events puts him in a class that is part math class, part philosophy discussion. He makes new friends. He meets a girl. Already you know that they will discuss math. They will discuss philosophy. He might get involved with the girl.

So they do all that. The author tries to make things more interesting by adding the sudden discovery that the guy's beloved grandfather spent time in jail and so he has to research that, too. But all that plot description makes it sound more interesting than it really is, because that takes up about 25% of the words in the book. The other 75% is taken up with endless dialogs about math and philosophy, either presented in the classroom, or a jail cell (while a judge and the grandfather work through the motivations for the grandfathers 'objectionable' behavior), or at various contrived situations around campus.

At various points the endless dialog, which is always in language far to lofty to come out of ordinary, human mouths, is broken up by fictionalized letters and journal entries from historical mathematicians and philosophers. These are also written in language either too lofty or too modern to be based in reality. The contrived and awkward situations, discussions and documents all kept me from connecting with the story and characters and really enjoying the ride.

This book would be improved by either ditching the 'novel' portion or making it stronger. As it is, the math exposition, while interesting and central to the theme, overwhelm the fiction.

The only reason this gets 3 stars, rather than 2, is because of the intriguing subjects. It did get me to thinking deep thoughts, which I believe was the point of it. But the lack of personal connection and the awkwardly scholarly language kept it from approaching 4 stars. Only recommended if you like math (or are unoffended by it) and are likewise unoffended by flowery dialog and thoughts that do not reflect the way real people behave.… (plus d'informations)

A Certain Ambiguity does an interesting job of trying to answer questions concerning the meaning of life using faith and mathematics. Throughout the work the plot revolves around Ravi, a college student with a deceased grandfather who peaked his interest in mathematics. Interspersed in each chapter are also newspaper segments, meeting transcriptions, and perceived-to-be-authentic historical letters, which help add depth in Ravi’s journey to uncover the secrets of his grandfather’s past. While learning of Baji’s time in prison and his discussions with Judge Taylor, the reader is subjected to philosophical questions --- and the possibility of using mathematics to answer them. There is constant apprehension in both the present storyline and the tidbits from the past concerning how logic, proof, and math can be interpreted as a lens to properly see the universe. The topic of religion and faith are also challenged, especially by the grandfather, which, along with his discourse with Judge Taylor, allowed for their relationship to bloom – with both gaining a better understanding of the mechanics of faith and how each and every person has a different interpretation of it, perhaps through religion or mathematics. The robust plot can, in some ways, be overbearing, especially with the tangential additions of the historical relics. Often enough it seems this book repeats itself or finds its characters arguing the same propositions just using different terms. This book would not exactly be recommended for any reader who isn’t up to par with higher-level math terms, as the topics covered, in respect to math content, can be quite heavy.… (plus d'informations)

I gave this novel three stars because at various points in my journey through it, I was bored, deeply intrigued, infuriated, bored, and mildly fascinated. The novel weaves together several related story lines through which ideas about religion, epistemology, mathematics, and certainty are explored. The principal character of Ravi is likable at first, as a young boy drawn to mathematics much like his grandfather. Unfortunately, the college-student version of Ravi, and the older adult-version who is the assumed narrator, fail to develop the plot in a meaningful way as the book progresses. Ultimately, this book sets itself up for an excellent read without carrying it to a well-defined close.

The story or Ravi is driven by his enrollment in a math/philosophy class at Stanford, where he and a newfound group of friends study the ideas of mathematical proof, certainty, and infinity. Truly, these are some of the more memorable and well-crafted portions of the book. The character of Nico, the professor, is engaging and the mathematical concepts that he teaches were fascinating to ponder. As Ravi, Adin, Nico, and Claire seek to explore the infinite, Ravi is also exploring his grandfather's past life as an imprisoned mathematician in a small New Jersey town. While the two plot threads are directly related and the use of newspaper articles and court transcripts add a unique perspective, the story of the grandfather and Judge Taylor is predictable from the start, yet is dragged on and on and on, with constant interludes from Ravi and the others to marvel at the philosophical implications of mathematics, but which do not actually add any substance.

Ultimately, the novel ends as expected, the Judge, Bauji, and Ravi et al arrive at a "certain ambiguity," or lack of certainty about the meaning of life. Ravi does not take the sensible job at Goldman Sachs, but chooses to study mathematics with Nico. While I enjoyed the mathematical ideas and proofs laid out in the book, as a piece of literature, it was very unsatisfying. It seemed that the authors were trying to cram as many grandiose, meaning-of-life, philosophical insights into the book as they could, when they could have essentially achieved the same goals with 100 fewer pages.… (plus d'informations)

The book "A certain ambiguity" of Gaurav Suri and Hartosh Singh Bal is a mathematical fiction that tries to give answers in basic philosophical questions that every human being is posing, like "What is the meaning of life?", "How shall I find it in order to avoid a meatless and miserable life?" and if I find it, how can I be sure for that it is the right one? This certainty gives a course in our life and all our actions, choices and behavior are a sequence of what we believe for the meaning of our live. By presenting a story within a story of two opposite believers the atheist mathematician who believes in the mathematics and human logic to discover the truth and the meaning of live and the judge who believes in God as source of truth they start from the opposites sides of a distant course with the feeling that they are the owners of the only real truth. In their attempt to understand each other they realize that their ideas are not absolute scientific knowledge and revelation knowledge have no certainty and the only truth that gives a meaning in our life is the Freedom of each individual to choose the starting point in the long course to find out the meaning of life and to avoid to live in a meaningless world. A weakness of the fiction is the extended description of mathematic theories and repetitions in the behavior of the characters, For example all characters have a passion to mathematics and jazz music. But despite of these weaknesses it's a good book and a real pleasure for the lovers of mathematics and philosophical thought.… (plus d'informations)