Reuben Hersh

Reuben Hersh (December 9, 1927 – January 3, 2020) was an American mathematician and academic, best known for his writings on the nature, practice, and social impact of mathematics.

in English literature from Harvard University in 1946, Hersh spent a decade writing for Scientific American and working as a machinist.

[1][a] Hersh and Martin Davis won the 1984 Chauvenet Prize for their Scientific American[2] article on Hilbert's tenth problem.

Hersh advocated what he called a "humanist" philosophy of mathematics, opposed to both Platonism (so-called "realism") and its rivals nominalism/fictionalism/formalism.

His article "The Kingdom of Math is Within You" (a chapter in his Experiencing Mathematics, 2014) explains how mathematicians' proofs compel agreement, even when they are inadequate as formal logic.