Review of “The Little Book of Mathematical Principles, Theories, & Things” by Robert Solomon

Wow, what a title, right? Understandably, it might be off-putting to some, but as an avid reader and learner of math and science, I bought it as soon as I saw it!

This book is basically a math history book. In chronological order, Robert Solomon lists all the major discoveries in mathematics starting with “Writing Numbers” in 3000 BC. This book is not only a fun, easy read for math enthusiasts like myself, but it also makes a great reference book. With each new principle or theory introduced, Solomon includes the year if possible and where the discovery was made. He then elaborates on the item and gives examples of its use. What I also like about this book is that it is so compact (in content and the actual size of the book), yet easy to understand. I learned a lot of new concepts, and learned more about the ones I have heard in passing. I definitely recommend this book if you want to know more about mathematics.

The only issue I have with this book is that it barely mentions the fact that all of these mathematical components and ideas were originally created by God, the Great Mathematician. Solomon mentions God in reference to a probability theory called Pascal’s Wager, which was Blaise Pascal’s effort at justifying Christianity. Solomon writes of Pascal’s Wager, “The argument here is that the reward for believing in God is infinite while what we surrender for that belief, a few worldly pleasures, is finite. However small the probability of God’s existence, the gain from belief is greater, infinitely greater, than that from disbelief.” [page 83 of The Little Book of Mathematical Principles, Theories, & Things] As Christians, these facts are made obvious when we put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. But to the scientific world, this is just another theory. This is where faith and science clash, bringing on many questions and arguments against God from doubters.

This is one of the largest debates ever and I won’t go into great detail here. But this universe and everything in it, from the tiniest atom to the largest galaxy, was created by God. Genesis 1:1 KJV says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Because Adam and Eve (the first humans) decided to go against God’s instructions, sin entered the world. That is why God needed to send His only Son Jesus to die in order for our sins to be forgiven. Then God rose Jesus from the dead, and we know we will have eternal life when we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior.

God created you because He loves you! He loves all of humanity so much that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, not only so our current lives may be enriched by His Holy Spirit, but also that we may be able to spend eternity with Him. Isn’t that amazing? That must be why John Newton named his famous hymn, Amazing Grace. God’s grace is truly amazing.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I know you will find God’s plan for your life if you surrender all to Him. Have a blessed day, and Happy Reading!