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x+y

A mathematician's manifesto for rethinking gender

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x+y

By: Eugenia Cheng
Narrated by: Moira Quirk
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Science and maths have never been the preserve of lone geniuses: collaboration has always been at the heart of intellectual endeavour. But to this day, men like Einstein remain the pervasive archetype of genius, and the intellectual contributions of women past and present have gone unacknowledged. x+y is one mathematician's manifesto for how we can fix that - and why that requires rethinking how we think about thinking itself.

In her illuminating new book, Royal Society Book Prize finalist Eugenia Cheng reveals how mathematics can help us escape gendered stereotypes by giving us new structures based on character, not gender. By reframing intellectual endeavour beyond the myth of the lone genius, she shows that the real key to success is thinking more collaboratively. Through her radical new framework for understanding traditional ideas about gender and thinking, Cheng shows us how one small but powerful change to the way we think could make the world a better place for men and women alike.©2020 Eugenia Cheng Economic History Economics Mathematics Physics Science
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I feel I can have a better understanding of why I have never liked maths and how I can change that with a new perspective. I really enjoyed this book and will be reading some of the other books mentioned within.

Well worth the read!

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Every now and then, someone introduces a new terminology that puts things into a new perspective and opens up both understanding and practical possibilities. Eugenia Cheng’s “ingressive” and “congressive” are just such terms. For this reason, this is for me is a ‘6-star’ book, that is, one which I not only consider excellent but wish everyone would read.

For decades I, like many others, have wrestled with problems entangled with gender. I myself never felt comfortable with traditional gender roles. In the 1970s I was sympathetic to feminist activists (of which my sister was one), yet I felt an uneasy ambiguity in regard to gender and other personal/societal issues. My difficulties were exacerbated as discussion in recent years became more vociferous. Nowadays, I can only turn away in frustration at divisive identity politics and the pc divide.

Whether or not the concepts “ingressive” and “congressive” will catch on as I think they should, I for one find them extraordinarily useful in clarifying my own thoughts about a host of problems. For once a new terminology offers us a new pair of glasses and not merely new labels. It takes us out of an age-old morass and provides a new mental schema rich in possibilities. I recommend the book without reserve. If the beginning seems dry, you might skip to Part 2 (Ch.4) and go back later to Part 1. Listening at 1.3 to 1.7 speed worked best for me.

A 6-star book

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