Alfred Tarski: Life and Logic
by Anita Burdman Feferman, Solomon Feferman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anita Burdman Feferman, Solomon FefermanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-04
ISBN: 0521802407
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Book Reviews of Alfred Tarski: Life and Logic
Book Review: A wonderful book on life, logic, and a century of change
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful biography about an outstanding man. Alfred Tarski was more than just the ingenious logician, mathematician, and philosopher - he was an exceptional character; his life reflects a century of change. The Fefermans tell his story so vividly, I just could not help having the impression of reading a novel in which the protagonist had become alive.
We learn about the brilliant child of twelve who translates a German short story about a prisoner's playing cards with his executioner for the last time in his life. We see Tarski struggling with his Jewish ancestry when he reinvents himself by choosing the fantasy name "Tarski" in order to cope with the anti-semitic adverseness of pre-war Poland. We are present at the Bohemian parties in Zakopane, its poets and philosophers, where love is free and drugs are omnipresent. We set sail with Tarski who leaves for the US in order to speak at a conference, while Nazi Germany is only days before overrunning Poland and starting a war in which most of Tarski's relatives are to perish in the Holocaust. We understand how he must have felt, stranded in the US, worrying about his children and his wife who could not follow him, summer clothes and a suitcase as his sole possessions, yet still chasing after logic and love. We accompany him while he erects his logical empire in Berkeley, teaches and exploits the next generation's prodigies, smokes and works, always energetic and awake until every single early morning.
The Fefermans tell this story as if they were invisible observers; they do not invent anything, they do not force upon us their own perspective. It is sufficient for us to know that they have spent half of their lives next to Tarski, with Tarski, and perhaps sometimes even opposed to Tarski. In six marvelous interludes, Tarski's logical achievements are explained in clear and concise terms. Everyone interested in the fabulous constructions of a brilliant scientific mind will love these sections. I simply had a great time reading this book. I do not only recommend it to those who want to learn about Tarski, I recommend it to everyone intrigued by life and logic.
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