Review: A Double-Edged Sword
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The notion of intuition frequently crops up in accounts of mathematical experiences (e.g., Davis & Hersh, 1981), and we have an intuitive idea of what is meant. As Fischbein notes, “intuition is generally seen as a primary phenomenon which may be described but which is not reducible to more elementary components” (p. ix). To rectify this situation, Fischbein presents a theory of mathematical and scientific intuition. In doing so, he synthesizes empirical research on problem solving, images and models, beliefs, and developmental stages of intelligence, drawing on examples from the history of science and mathematics. The book is marked by a masterly display of scholarship and makes a fundamental contribution to the analysis of mathematical cognition.
