A Mind-Blowing Way of Looking at Math (with David Bessis)

Podcast: EconTalk (LS 69 · TOP 0.05% what is this?)Episode: A Mind-Blowing Way of Looking at Math (with David Bessis)Pub date: 2025-10-27Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationWhat if math isn't about grinding through equations, but about training your intuition and changing how your brain works? Mathematician and author David Bessis tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts that the secret of mathematics isn't logic--it's the way we learn to see. He explains why math books aren't meant to be read like novels, how great mathematicians toggle between images and formal proofs, and why we need a third mode of thought--"System 3"--that patiently retrains our intuition and the power of imagination. Bessis and Russ Roberts swap stories about the humility of great mathematicians, how Andrew Wiles "saw" the fix to his proof of Fermat's last theorem, and Ramanujan's dream-revelations that proved true.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Russ Roberts, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.