TAIPEI (TVBS News) — As Taiwan prepares to embrace the Mandarin edition of "Love and Math" (愛與數學), a groundbreaking work that demystifies complex mathematical concepts for general readers, Edward Frenkel, the book's author and a distinguished professor at the University of California, Berkeley, offered reflections on May 28 on how mathematical principles increasingly shape modern existence in an era dominated by digital innovation.
"I think no one would deny how much mathematics affects us these days," Frenkel told TVBS News. "It has been affecting us more and more through technology, social media, financial instruments like blockchain and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and more recently through all kinds of AI systems." Since its initial publication in 2013, Frenkel's literary exploration of mathematical principles has attracted a global audience, presenting intricate mathematical theories comprehensibly for non-specialists. His foresight regarding mathematics' expanding role in contemporary society has materialized dramatically as algorithmic systems increasingly mediate everyday experiences from social interactions to financial transactions.
"My admonition to my readers to get to know mathematics more, so that mathematics is our friend and not our foe, is becoming increasingly more important," the mathematician emphasized with growing urgency. "But I'm also more and more concerned about the misuse of mathematics, misuse of mathematical tools." Frenkel's relationship with the discipline began with indifference rather than passion. During his secondary education, mathematics represented merely another school subject until a fortuitous meeting redirected his intellectual trajectory and catalyzed what would become a lifelong devotion to mathematical exploration and education.
"I did not hate math because I didn't know what mathematics was about. I thought mathematics was just what we were being taught at school," Frenkel recalled, reflecting on his adolescent perspective. "I was lucky that in last year of high school I met a mathematician who was a friend of my parents. He explained to me that to truly understand physics, to truly understand the universe, you have to first understand mathematics." This pivotal encounter fundamentally altered his perception, revealing mathematics not as a collection of formulas and calculations but as an expansive intellectual landscape of patterns and possibilities. His personal transformation now fuels his advocacy for educational approaches that nurture children's innate mathematical intuition rather than imposing professional aspirations in the field.
"Every child is a mathematician. The question is to preserve that curiosity, preserve that sense of awe and excitement," he continued, emphasizing the universal capacity for mathematical thinking. "People can enjoy the subject without being professional mathematicians. My hope is more people will realize that mathematics is part of our culture, part of our humanity, part of our history." In an era when artificial intelligence systems routinely execute complex calculations with unprecedented speed and accuracy, Frenkel maintains that authentic mathematical cognition remains an exclusively human domain. The Berkeley professor draws a crucial distinction between computational output and the creative, intuitive process of mathematical discovery that characterizes human engagement with the field.
"Math is not about answers. It's about the process of discovery, about the process of learning and collaboration," Frenkel asserted, challenging prevalent misconceptions about mathematical practice. "We have to use computers as tools, the same way as an artist uses a brush and paint and canvas, but is not expecting the brush to paint it for himself or herself." His concerns extend to emerging generations who have never known a world without algorithmic assistance, potentially fostering dependence rather than autonomy in intellectual pursuits. "ChatGPT can help me get information faster than I could ever do before. But I should not imagine that it somehow will replace the actual process of discovery, the actual process of learning."
Frenkel's professional journey traversed significant barriers of discrimination that might have terminated his mathematical career before it began. Institutional anti-Semitism in the Soviet academic system created formidable obstacles to his educational aspirations. "I was not accepted to Moscow University, which was the only program in Moscow in pure mathematics, because I was told that I come from a Jewish family and therefore I'm undesirable," Frenkel recounted with remarkable equanimity. "It looked like there was no opportunity for me to become a mathematician. And yet I persevered." His experience illuminates how arbitrary prejudice can threaten intellectual potential while simultaneously demonstrating how determination can overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers.
The mathematician's biographical narrative offers compelling evidence for human resilience against systemic prejudice. "Sometimes challenges actually push us to transcend our limits or what we believe to be our limits," he reflected, finding unexpected value in adversity. Drawing from intellectual history, Frenkel invoked the wisdom of 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal: "The heart has its reasons, of which the reason knows nothing." He concluded with personal testimony to this principle: "My personal life is proof that when you follow your heart, you will succeed no matter what obstacles life puts in your way. You will persevere, you will succeed. And that success will be even sweeter." ◼
