Ekeko is a god of good luck in Peru and the surrounding region.
Photo by Marjorie Manicke.
Is mathematics a religion? This question first occurred to me when I attended a session dedicated to the memory of Paul Erdo˝s at the San Diego meetings in January 1998. There, many people spoke about the life of this man of legend, and this is what I heard: Erdo˝s was a priest of mathematics, singularly devoted to this one passion. He traveled far and wide sharing his form of gospel. And he believed that his purpose on Earth was to “conjecture and prove.” Many people in the outside world view this dedication as a peculiarity; they may admire the genius but cannot comprehend the mission. But we in the mathematics community share his faith in the meaningfulness of mathematics. We on the inside speak the same language, practice the same rituals, seek the same goals. We are therefore in a unique position to appreciate the greatness and the goodness of the man. We are in the fold. We are the believers.
Ullman, Daniel H., review of Proofs from THE BOOK, by Martin Aigner and Günter M. Ziegler (click for the full text of the review, pdf)
