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Risk and Meaning is a richly illustrated book exploring how chance and risk, on the one hand, and meaning or significance on the other, compete for the limelight in art, in philosophy, and in science. In modern society, prudence and probability calculation permeate our daily lives. Yet it is clear for all to see that neither cautious bank regulations nor mathematics have prevented economic crises from occurring time and again.
Nicolas Bouleau argues in Risk and Meaning that it is the meaning we assign to an event that determines the perceived risk, and that we generally turn a blind eye to this important fact, because the word "meaning" is itself awkward to explain. He tackles this fundamental question through examples taken from cultural fields ranging from painting, architecture, and music, to poetry, biology, and astronomy. This enables the reader to view overwhelming risks in a different light. Bouleau clarifies that the most important thing in a time of uncertainty is to think of prudence on a higher level, one that truly addresses the various subjective interpretations of the world.
Risk and Meaning stimulates both the eyes and the intellect. This book is an original and unusual marriage of science and art and shows how concepts of chance affect all aspects of our lives and culture. It also reveals how scientific questions and ideas are taken up in creative works
Nicolas Bouleau is a mathematician, philosopher of science and essayist, and professor at the Ecole des Ponts Paris Tech. He was responsible for introducing computer simulation into the teaching of probability and was among the first to develop research in mathematical finance in France. Nicolas Bouleau has lectured at over one hundred international conferences. He was awarded the Montyon Prize of the French Academy of Sciences.
N. Bouleau
Risk and Meaning
Adversaries in Art, Science and Philosophy
2011. VII, 302 p. 161 illus., 75 in color
Hardcover €59,95; $79.95 £53.99
ISBN 978-3-642-17646-3