Proof - by Adam Kucharski (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An award-winning mathematician--he "made me smile and made me feel clever" (Peter Frankopan)--shows how we prove what's true, and what to do when we can't

How do we establish what we believe? And how can we be certain that what we believe is true? And how do we convince other people that it is true? For thousands of years, from the ancient Greeks to the Arabic golden age to the modern world, science has used different methods--logical, empirical, intuitive, and more--to separate fact from fiction. But it all had the same goal: find perfect evidence and be rewarded with universal truth.

As mathematician Adam Kucharski shows, however, there is far more to proof than axioms, theories, and laws: when demonstrating that a new medical treatment works, persuading a jury of someone's guilt, or deciding whether you trust a self-driving car, the weighing up of evidence is far from simple. To discover proof, we must reach into a thicket of errors and biases and embrace uncertainty--and never more so than when existing methods fail.

Spanning mathematics, science, politics, philosophy, and economics, this book offers the ultimate exploration of how we can find our way to proof--and, just as importantly, of how to go forward when supposed facts falter.

Review Quotes

"Adam Kucharski's new book Proof is a life raft in a sea of fake news and misinformation."--Jacob Aron, New Scientist

"A wide-ranging study on separating facts from fiction, truth from lies, and evidence from presumptions." --Kirkus

"Adam Kucharski is that rarest of beasts: a true mathematical expert who can also write beautiful accessible, human prose. Proof is a profound and utterly absorbing exploration of the limits and power of proof and truth, both in mathematics, logic, and the quest for certainty that we find ourselves on, whether we're running the country of trying to decide on what to do with a medical test result. Kucharski elegantly explores how proof is not just a mathematical concept but a vital tool in decision-making, justice, and survival--it's brilliant."--Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People

"Adam Kucharski has a knack of making complex problems sound simple - and exciting. A book that made me smile and feel clever."--Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

"In an increasingly complex world, where we're beset by information, misinformation, and endlessly required to make decisions about it all, Kucharski shines a brilliant and clarifying light through the muddle. Proof is a puzzle-solver's delight; the essential guide we need to make sense of what and who to trust, and the risks therein."--Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century

"Kucharski explains why getting at the truth of just about anything is incredibly hard. There's fascinating technical detail here, and a moral: the more we appreciate how hard proof is to come by, the better we can bridge the widening gulf between experts and skeptics."--Simon Ings, New Scientist

"A vivid, intelligent and wide-ranging book about how we know what we know. Adam Kucharski is a brilliant and entertaining guide."--Tim Harford, author of How To Make The World Add Up

About the Author

Adam Kucharski is a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he works on analysis of infectious disease outbreaks, work that won him the 2023 Adams Prize for mathematics. He regularly appears in print and broadcast media and is the author of The Perfect Bet and The Rules of Contagion. He lives in Hertfordshire, UK.