In our original essay on the subject, and its follow-up here, we noted that there exists very little pandering journalistic
treatment of mathematics.
Popularizations and simplifications, yes; this is a public service, if done well. It only becomes ‘porn’ if some
marketing-type tries to sex it up with references to mysteries or hidden
realities -- or sex, for that matter.
This morning’s New York Times Book Review offers a
worthwhile summary (by a physicist) of a probably quite worthwhile new book
(indeed, I have already ordered a copy):
The book itself sounds straightforward enough; it’s the title and the subtitle that
are porn-y:
LOVE AND MATH
The Heart of Hidden Reality
By Edward Frenkel
One wishes to think, that the author’s proposed title was
something like “Conformal Field Theory and the Langlands Program” or even “Langlands
for Dummies”, and that some Dilberty drone over in marketing went to tart it
up. In much the same way,
perfectly reasonable newspaper articles can be turned into ostensible kitsch or
glurge, by micro-brained headline writers.
But on second thought, had it had that for a title, rather
than this bodice-ripping conspiracy-theory thing, the book would probably never
have been reviewed by the New York Times.
[Update] Bought it and read it; it's excellent. Discussion here.
http://worldofdrjustice.blogspot.com/2013/11/gradus-ad-parnassum.html
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