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How can the subject of math be a source of human flourishing? Find out as we interview Francis Su, PhD, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics. Francis Su writes about the dignity of human beings and the wonder of mathematical teaching. He is a Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a former president of the Mathematical Association of America.

His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and the New York Times. His book Mathematics for Human Flourishing, winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize, offers an inclusive vision of what math is, who it's for, and why anyone should learn it.

On math as a way to engage uniquely:

"In the book, I try to help people make the connection between math and all the basic human desires that we have for...truth, beauty, play..."

On the study of beauty:

"I see now why studying beauty matters even when it has no immediate application. The beauty of reasoning and the beauty we behold in patterns reflects something divine and so are worth studying for their own sakes, rather than for personal glory."

Download the episode transcript.

Read the book "Mathematics for Human Flourishing."

If you enjoyed today's conversation here is a free resource titled "Caring for Creation."

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