Rather we are motivated by Samuel Johnson’s definition of a:

lexicographer, n., a writer of dictionaries; a harmless . . . → Read More: Thereof one cannot speak]]> Math Drudge is maintained by David Bailey and Jonathan Borwein and is intended to highlight thoughts on the nature of mathematics and of science more generally. Any similarity with the Drudge report is totally unintended.

Rather we are motivated by Samuel Johnson’s definition of a:

lexicographer, n., a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words.

We take as compass Norman Levitt’s observation that:

“The dictum that everything that people do is “cultural” … licenses the idea that every cultural critic can meaningfully analyze even the most intricate accomplishments of art and science. … It is distinctly weird to listen to pronouncements on the nature of mathematics from the lips of someone who cannot tell you what a complex number is!”

[In Norman Levitt, The Flight From Science and Reason, New York Academy of Science, quoted from Science, 11 Oct 1996, pg. 183.]

See also http://www.experimentalmath.info/quotations.html. Some of our posts will be entirely excerpts from others while some will delineate our own opinions. We welcome email contact.