H.E. Huntley's "The Divine Proportion"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that H.E. Huntley, in his book "The Divine Proportion" claims that beauty exists as a principle, which is external and transcendent to any individual human being's ability to create either equations or art. The paper also discusses Huntley's arguement that the 'Golden Ratio', also known as phi, is the supreme proof that God is a mathematician and that the mathematician and creator God appreciates nature. The paper concludes that Huntley's book is clearly not aimed at mathematicians, given that he is trying to defend his profession and the beauty of math; however, most people lacking fairly solid math skills would find this book a very difficult read, except for its first and last chapters.

From the Paper:

"Huntley's last chapters shift somewhat from the defense of the 'Golden Ratio' as proof of the existence of universal ideals of beauty and proportionality, and moves on into a more general defense of mathematics as a discipline that is in pursuit of beauty no less than sculpture or art. But why does mathematics need to defend itself as beautiful, to hold its place beside art, poetry, and philosophy? The divisions between the disciplines that did not exist for the ancient Greeks say more about the development of our culture into a split between the sciences and the arts than a failure to recognize the capabilities of mathematics' contribution to the world in general."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Huntley, H.E. (1970). The Divine Proportion. New York: Random House

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