Martin Gardner: Defending the Honor of the Human Mind

Author(s): Irving Joshua Matrix

Source: The Two-Year College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Sep., 1979), pp. 227-232
Published by: Mathematical Association of America
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MARTINGARDNER: Defendingthe Honor of
the HumanMind
IrvingJoshua Matrix*

We expectMartinGardnerto amuseand delight us,buthe doesmore.He teaches

us tobe critical.
We mustbe on ourtoeswithhim,so as nottobe fooled.He raises
manyquestions thatdo nothavepatanswers.
He does thisforthecasualreaderof
hisbooksand columnsas wellas forthosewhofollowhisworkclosely.

I171

Martinis an accomplishedconjurer.
In hishandscommonobjectsmaytakeon
He worksthissamemagicwithideas-drawingsomething
magicalproperties. from
nothing (February1975columnt)and evensuccessfully
takingon everythingin a
singlecolumn(May 1976column).He has a conjurer's
eyeforhiddencausesand
has masteredtheartoftransforming
base metalmito
gold,notusinga philosopher's
stone,butusinghisphilosopher's
mind.
See noteon authorship
at theendofthisarticle.
t"Coumn"refers to MartinGardner's
"MathematicalGames"columnin ScientificAmerican.

227
 The questions Martinasksareoftenunusualand revealing. Whenthesubjectof
lifecame up, he inquiredwhatI knewof thephysicist
extraterrestrial JohnA.
Wheeler's viewson thesubject.Martinhad read thatWheelerbelievedlifeexists
onlyon Earth.To Martina flatstatement on whatseemsa problematical subject
suggestsreasonsnotin evidence.
Thisis a Gardnertwist.WhileI can'tdo anything directlyto demonstrate
or
disprovetheexistence life,I certainly
of extraterrestrial can findoutwhatpeople
thinkaboutthepossibilities lifeand,to an extent,
ofextraterrestrial whytheythink
as theydo.
Martinsetsinteresting and usefulquestions, questionsto sharpenourwitsand
our criticalability,questionsthatcelebrateour abilitiesto solveproblems.Like
Wittgenstein,Martinseeksto showthetrappedflyhowto finditswayoutof the
flybottle.
Thatbringsme to a problemyou willnot findin Martin'scolumns.Who is
MartinGardner, andhowdidhe cometowritethe"Mathematical Games"column
in Scientific
American? I willanswerthesequestions as bestI can,butthoughI am
a creationof Martin'smindI am notprivyto his innermost noram I
thoughts,
infallible
in myopinionsabouthim.

kxii

Gardner Matrix

MartinGardnerwasbornin 1914,thefirst ofthreechildren ofDr. JamesHenry

GardnerandWillieWilkerson SpiersGardner.His father first
was a geologist, with
variousstategeologicalsurveys and lateras a consultantand as president of his
own oil company.The Gardnerswereof Methodiststock.Dr. Gardnerwas a
director of theTulsa Chamberof Commerce, activein theAudubonSociety,a
thirty-second-degreeMason,and a Democrat.
Martin'sbackground combinedfundamentalist faithwitha strongcommitment
in magicbeganearly,whenhisfather
to science.His interest showedhimhisfirst
trick,the papers-on-knife trick.By his high-schoolyearshe was contributing
regularly to TheSphinx,a magazinedevotedto magic.His high-school mathemat-
ics teacher,PaulineBakerPerry,first whatlaterbecamea lifelong
stirred in
interest
mathematics. He decidedhe wantedto studyphysicsat Caltech.In 1932Caltech
did nothavea program forthefreshman and sophomore years;so Martinsetoff
fortwoyearsat theUniversity of Chicago,intendingto transferto Caltechlater.

228
This was a fatefulchoice.At thattimeRobertMaynardHutchinshad recently
becomepresident and a generaleducationin humanities
of the university was
required forthestudent's twoyears.ThusithappenedthatMartindidnottake
first
a singlecollegemathematicscourseinhisfirst
yearsat Chicago.Bythetimehe was
an upperclassman, he was caughtup in theexcitementof thephilosophy
depart-
mentat Chicagowithsuchteachersas CharlesW. Morris,RudolfCarnap,and
CharlesHartshorne.
Duringhis undergraduate years at Chicago he struggled to reconcilethe
Methodist fundamentalism philosophy
he was raisedin withtherationalscientific
he foundat the university.He also made lastingfriendsat the universityand
among Chicago's magicians.His long spiritualand philosophicalstruggleis
in his novel,The Flightof PeterFromm(WilliamKaufmann,Inc.,
fictionalized
1973),whichhe firstroughedout in 1946and 1947.The skepticalrationality he
gainedin thisstruggleservedhimwell.
In 1936he graduated a PhiBetaKappa in philosophy and,aftera briefstintas
a reporterforthe Tulsa Tribune, he wentto workin publicrelationsfor the
Universityof Chicago.From1936to 1939Martinalso pursuedgraduateworkin
thephilosophy ofscienceat Chicago.In 1941he enlisted
in theUnitedStatesNavy
and servedas a yeomanon a destroyerescortin theNorthAtlanticuntiltheendof
thewar.
AfterWorldWar II, Martinreturned to Chicagoand, aided by theG.I. Bill,
resumedhis studiesat the university. He workedwithRudolfCarnap in the
philosophy of science,and he beganhis careeras a free-lancewriter.
He was no
strangerto writing.As mentioned, he beganpublishing in magazinesdevotedto
magicin highschool;he had workedas a reporter; in hisworkfortheUniversity
of Chicagohe wrotepublicity material.
He published hisfirstbook(on magic)in
1935.He beganto writefictionfora numberof magazines.Mathematicians will
recallthestoryof the"No-SidedProfessor," whichfirstappearedin Esquireand
has been reprintedsincein CliftonFadiman'sFantasiaMathematica. This is the
onlyone of Martin'sstoriesfromtheseyearswitha mathematical theme.
About 1947he movedto New York and foundcongenialfriendsamongthe
magiciansand writersthere.Amongthesefriendswere the magiciansPersi
Diaconis and Bill Simonand the writerGershonLegman.It was Simonwho
introducedMartinto CharlotteGreenwaldand laterservedas best man when
Martinand Charlotte weremarriedin 1952.PersiDiaconisis one friendwho,like
RaymondSmullyan, in magicandmathematics.
sharesMartin'sinterest NewYork
a free-lance
offers writertheadvantages ofa superbresearch in itsmain
collection
whereMartindid muchoftheresearch
publiclibrary, forhisFads andFallaciesin
the Name of Science (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1952; Dover, 1957). In New York
Martinalso workedas a staffwriter
forHumpty Dumpty'sMagazineforeightyears
Games"column
.thisjob afterhe beganhis "Mathematical
and onlyrelinquished
forScientific
American in
in 1957-butI geta bitahead ofmyself mentioning the
column.

229
 At thispointthe stagewas set forthe appearanceof the column.Readers
acquaintedwithMartin'stough,brilliant,
and amusingattackon pseudoscience,
Fads and-Fallacies in the Name of Science, will know him as an armed and
dangerous skeptic.Thosewhoreadhisnovel,TheFlightofPeterFromm, willknow
thatMartin,havinglaid his own spiritual ghoststo rest,was readyto go forth
withoutqualmsto dispatchghostsor dragonsof othersto oblivion.Those who
knowhisshortstoriescan haveno doubtsabouthistalentsas an author.Finally,
aftersevenyearson staffat Humpty Dumpty's,his abilityto producecreative
materialon schedulewas an establishedfact.
However,important elementsare stillmissingfromour story.Althoughthe
"Mathematical Games"columnin Scientific American is aboutto be launched,it
seemsthatthemainelements-Scientific Americanand mathematics-have notyet
appeared.Martin'slast formalclass in mathematics was in high school. His
wasin philosophy
training ofscience,andhe wasa professional writer.Martinhad
done an articletitled"LogicMachines"forScientific American in 1952,but that
was ancienthistory. The turning pointcame withhis December1956Scientific
American article"Flexagons."Perhapswe can tracea threadthatleads fromhis
workin philosophyto his article"Logic Machines."Perhapsthereare links
betweenthe cut-and-fold featureshe did forHumpty Dumpty's and the article
"Flexagons."The flexagonarticlebroughtMartininto contactwithmathe-
maticiansJohnTukey,BryantTuckerman, and A. H. Stoneand withphysicist
RichardFeynman-anindication of thesortofpersonhe wouldmeetmoreoften
once he beganhis column.Whatever thesecontinuitiesmayhave been,in 1957
therewas a majorbreak.GerardPiel of Scientific American was impressed by
Martin'sarticleand theinterest
in itand by thepopularity ofJamesR. Newman's
four-volumeWorldofMathematics(Simon & Schuster,1956).
GerardPiel askedGardnerifhe felttherewas enoughmaterialon recreational
mathematics column.Martinsaid yesand tookon thejob. The
to fuela monthly
restis history.
Thusmenofactionseizedthedayand shapedeventsto come.Pielhad initiated
one of Scientific mostsuccessful
American's and MartinGardnersetout
features,
on a new phase of his life. He quicklyassembleda libraryof recreational
mathematicsclassics, includingBall's MathematicalRecreationsand Essays* and
Kraitchik'sMathematical and subscribed
Recreations, toa dozenjournalsrelatedto
mathematics. These resourceswouldhave availedhimlittlehad he not had a
passionate in understanding
interest things and theabilityto writewithclarity
and
humorevenon so drya subjectas mathematics.
Of coursein 1979hislibrary and filesare muchmoreextensive thantheywere
whenhe started thecolumn.However, neithera librarynorfilesnora network of
informants column.EachmonthMartinstillfacesthesame
canwritean interesting
taskhe did at thestart,
difficult butwithmorematerial to choosefrom.Gathering
materialis now less a problem,but thechoicesare harderto make.He handles
mostoftheworkhimself, withhelpfromhiswifeon checking and proofing.
* See review
on p. 283.

230
 To explainarcanescienceormathematics one mustfirstunderstand it.Because
Martinis neither a mathematician nora physicist,
he mustfirstlearnthematerial
beforehe writesa columnor a book. The readersof thesebooksbenefitfrom
Martin'slaborat understanding a subject,whetheritbe in mathematics or physics
or philosophy of science.Theycan be surethatMartin,theauthorof Fads and
Fallacies,willsiftoutanynonsense-there is somenonsenseand carelessthinking
evenin legitimate science.Finally,Martintakescareto makethingsclear,logical,
and understandable, becausetheseare essentialqualitiesthatdistinguish
scientific
knowledge frompseudoscience.

It mayseemthatall thisdiscussion leads onlyto "Mathematical Games."But

one shouldnotshortchange Martin'sotherinterests.In 1979he has aboutthirty
booksin print.His Annotated Alicesold40,000copiesin thefifteenth yearafterits
publication. rangefromarticlesin mathematics
His writings journalsto bookson
science,philosophy,mathematics, literary
criticism,and magic.He has also written
children'sbooks,not to mentionhis manybooks on mathematical games.He
is activein the Committee for the ScientificInvestigationof Claims of the
Paranormal, whichpublishesthe SkepticalInquirerto fightthe rise of pseu-
doscience.
His columnsare widerangingand substantial. The kindredspiritbetweenhis
October1975articleon extrasensory perceptionand hisinterestsin magicand his
classicFads andFallaciesis easyto trace.Manyof hisarticlesare as muchabout
philosophy as aboutmathematics. Despiteourfriendship and theoccasionalhelpI
am able to giveMartin,I sometimes havethefeelingthathe maysecretly harbor
doubtsaboutthescienceofnumerology. I mustnote
Of course,as a numerologist,
thathe simplydoes notgiveenoughcoverageto thisimportant field.Otherwise,I
cannotfaulthiswork.
By.happychanceMartinliveson EuclidAvenuein a smalltownup theHudson
fromNew Yorkwithhiswife,Charlotte. One of theirtwosonsis at BardCollege
and theotheris marriedand livesin BowlingGreen.

231
 I offerthesefewfactsand thoughts aboutMartinGardnerso thathis readers
can knowsomething ofhowthe"Mathematical Games"columncameto be, and
howitis thatMartinGardnerwasabletocarryitoffwithno specialtraining in the
subject.
It is thesearchforclarity,
understanding,and pattern thatdrivesmathematics.
Martinis firmly committed to thissearch.He adds to thesequalitieswit,humor,
devotionto thetruth.
and a relentless Why,if therehad been no suchthingas
recreationalmathematics whenhe started,he mightsimplyhave inventedthe
wholefieldjustas he inventedme.

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PETER RENZ

Educated at Reed College (B.A.), the Universityof Pennsylvania(M.A.), and the

Universityof Washington(M.S., Ph.D.), Peter Renz taughtat Reed College and
WellesleyCollege beforejoiningW. H. Freemanand Companyas an editorin 1974.
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232