Thursday, March 11, 2010

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos Papadimitriou and others

I'm happy that so many fabulous graphic novels are being published these days. The title of Logicomix doesn't appeal to me, but that is pretty much my only criticism. It is an ambitious blend of fictionalized biography, math, philosophy and self-referential storytelling. Greek artist Alecos Papadatos and his wife, colourist Annie Di Donna, have used a style similar to that of Herge's Tintin.

The tale centers on the life of British logician, Bertrand Russell. The central question revolves around whether or not logic can be used to solve life's most vexing problems; the context is World War I and II. The concepts of responsibility, justice and a sense of good and evil are shown to fall outside of logical theories. It is an excellent read for people like me who like to ponder.

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