The blind spot

the long version

Drawing on an array of examples--from Wall Street's overreliance on algorithms to provide certainty in uncertain markets, to undecidable problems in mathematics and computer science, to Georg Cantor's paradoxical but true assertions about infinity--mathematician William Byers explains why the subjective element of scientific inquiry is in fact what makes it so dynamic, why the need for certainty and rigor in science should be balanced with the equally important need for creativity, and how we can and must learn from the existence of blind spots in our scientific and mathematical understanding.--Adapted from publisher description.