perhaps this was marginally better in 1929, but after many changes in mathematics (grothendiek, computation, HoTT), poetry (post-phenomenology, post-structuralism, post-modernism, post-colonialism), and even science studies (kuhn, latour) this can only feel stale, unambitious, myopic, even obvious

which is sad, bc this is such a potent topic which so few ppl have written seriously abt (heidegger comes to mind, but he didnt have much of a grasp of mathematical form). and he approaches the topic from a great angle, incorporating science studies--a view for how poetic images have influenced the role of mathematics in science--and an elegantly simple treatment of some heady metaphysical philosophy. but its so, so horribly dated, and perhaps more sadly it lacks style

even in 1929 if u write a book of mathematics, u generally write w a certain formalistic structure; if u write a book of poetry, u generally write w a certain freewheeling or imaginative grace; this has neither, essentially possessing the worst of both worlds in terms of the writing and presentation ( )