Books Quote by Jordan Ellenberg
““The thesis of the book,” he writes in response, “when correctly interpreted, is essentially trivial. . . . To ‘prove’ such a mathematical result by a costly and prolonged numerical study of many kinds of business profit and expense ratios is analogous to proving the multiplication table by arranging elephants in rows and columns, and then doing the same for numerous other kinds of animals. The performance, though perhaps entertaining, and having a certain pedagogical value, is not an important contribution either to zoölogy or mathematics.””
About This Quote
Source Book: How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg, 2014
The author argues that proving a simple mathematical truth with exhaustive data is wasteful and adds little value to either the subject or related fields.
In simple terms: Overcomplicating simple truths with unnecessary data is pointless.
Key Takeaway
Focus on elegant, direct proofs.
Themes
simplicity
efficiency
mathematics
pedagogy
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
academic
commentary
critical
When to use this quote
- academic publishing
- business analysis
- educational curricula
- policy modeling
Key Concepts
proof theory
epistemology
economics of research
Questions to Reflect On
- When is a simple proof sufficient?
- How can we avoid overengineering solutions?
A Different Perspective
Complex data can obscure insight and waste resources.
