Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity
Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity by David Bessisby David Bessis
Ranked 5 of 20 mathematics books by recommenders
Recommended for showing that mathematical thinking relies on intuition and everyday cognition, with formal proof coming later. Critics raise no complaints.
Recommended for showing that mathematical thinking relies on intuition and everyday cognition, with formal proof coming later. Critics raise no complaints.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Intuition comes before formal proof
“He makes a case that formal math is usually the last step to refine/optimize an idea, not the starting point”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Think in math, write in code (2019)” “Amazing book. I love how he brings math into something tacit and internal.”
Comment from 14 Nov 2025 in “Think in math, write in code (2019)” Mathematical thinking mirrors everyday cognition
“David Bessis, in his wonderful book [1] argues that the cognitive actions done by you and I on a tuesday afternoon is the same that mathematicians do”
Comment from 11 Mar 2026 in “Yann LeCun's AI startup raises $1B in Europe's largest ever seed round” “I could relate how he described the mathematical experience”
Comment from 14 Nov 2025 in “Think in math, write in code (2019)” Relatable account of doing math
“I could relate how he described the mathematical experience”
Comment from 14 Nov 2025 in “Think in math, write in code (2019)” “This book by Bessis paints this really well”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Ask HN: Why is problem solving in math still important in the AI age?” Praised as excellent and amazing
“Amazing book. I love how he brings math into something tacit and internal.”
Comment from 14 Nov 2025 in “Think in math, write in code (2019)” “his excellent book on the subject”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “The Problem of Pedagogy in Advanced Mathematics”
Other mathematics books people recommend
The four most recommended other mathematics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elements by Euclidby Oliver Byrne | 17 | 9 | 65% | 8 | — | — |
| Fermat's Last Theoremby Simon Singh | 11 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Gödel's Proofby Nagel and Newman | 10 | 1 | 91% | 2 | — | — |
| Principia Mathematicaby Whitehead and Russell | 10 | 8 | 56% | 1 | — | — |
| Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosityby David BessisThis page | 9 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
9 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“This same vein of thought and why it is harmful is described by David Bessis”
“This book by Bessis paints this really well”
“his excellent book on the subject”
“There was a book I read a couple years back called "Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity"”
“David Bessis, in his wonderful book [1] argues that the cognitive actions done by you and I on a tuesday afternoon is the same that mathematicians do”
“a part stuck out in a section called The Language Trap”
“I could relate how he described the mathematical experience”
“Amazing book. I love how he brings math into something tacit and internal.”
“He makes a case that formal math is usually the last step to refine/optimize an idea, not the starting point”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.