Is the universe made of math? Over the past 400 years physicists have articulated an ever-more detailed picture of the world based on mathematics, now daring to dream about a mathematical ‘theory of everything.’ Some have started to claim that math is the world – the very essence of reality. In this event for Aeon magazine’s acclaimed Sophia Club: Live Philosophy series, IFF director Margaret Wertheim discusses this timely question with Aeon editor Sam Dresser. The evening will include a performative demonstration about the foundations of geometry, inviting audiences to consider the origin of mathematical concepts and their relationship to sensual experience.
Hosted by Aeon magazine in New York, London and Melbourne, Sophia Club blends philosophical discussion with live musical performance to “take audiences on an immersive journey into ideas and the arts.” At this NYC event, jazz pianist Dan Tepfer will provide musical interludes between the philosophical discussion segments.
Event Date/Time: Wednesday, January 25, 2023. 6:30 till late.
Venue: The Georgia Room, Second Floor, 23 Lexington Ave, Gramercy Park, NYC, 10010
Buy Tickets: on Sophia Club’s Event webpage:
Sophia Club website:
Margaret Wertheim website:
Suggested readings for those who like to mentally prepare, purely for pleasure and enrichment. There’s no requirements to attend.
–Margaret’s essay in Aeon magazine about the dimensionality of physical space. Now read by over 360,000 people, this is one of Aeon’s most popular science pieces. It explores what the term ‘dimension’ means in both physics and math.
–Margaret’s essay in Aeon about mathematics as a form of play.
–Margaret’s popular TED Talk about hyperbolic space and her hyperbolically inspired Crochet Coral Reef project.