Introduction

In putting together the programme for the 2011 Darwin Lectures with their theme of Beauty, the organisers aimed to begin with a lecture on Beauty and Mathematics. I believe it would indeed be possible to produce a riveting lecture or chapter strictly confined to this topic, narrowly construed. I have, however, taken the liberty of widening the discussion, to ask about the part played by considerations of elegance and aesthetics – by beauty – in humanity’s age-old quest for understanding how the world works.

This being said, the chapter nevertheless begins with a discussion of what I hope is a persuasive account of the interplay between Beauty and Truth in purely mathematical contexts. Against this background, I go on to consider the extent to which Beauty has guided, and still does guide, our advances towards understanding how the real world actually works. The chapter concludes with a brief look at the more complex landscape of intersections among beliefs and values, beauty, truth and tomorrow’s world.