Graphic Novel Pseudo-Review: Logicomix

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth was written by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou. It tells about part of the life, ideas, and effects of Bertrand Russell and some of his writings, particularly Principia Mathematica. Common themes that are dealt with include the relation between logicians and madness (and whether there is a causal connection between the two), the arrogance of ignorance about mathematics, and the futility of systematic philosophy.


I call this a pseudo-review because it is not a legitimate review in any meaningful sense. I have only read one other graphic novel before (Bone, which, though it is phenomenal, is quite different in terms of content and intent from Logicomix), so don't know much about the medium. I haven't read a biography of Russell, either, so I can't confirm the historical accuracy of the work. Clearly, I am unqualified to write an actual review... so, what qualifies me to write a pseudo-review?

Well, I have some exposure to logic, meta-logic, and the Russell Paradox (and a few other issues the book raises). I have a strong interest in the topics, and a desire to learn more. I was sparked by the book to do some more research and learn a bit about his life and the lives of those around him. And, perhaps just as important, I appreciate good books.

This was a pretty good book. The reader is told, to some degree, why he or she should care about Russell's life, given a reasonable setting for his life story to be told, and treated to a clever mix of wit and wisdom. I'm led to believe that it is not entirely historically accurate, but then, it doesn't claim to be-- it's fairly explicit about its status as a storytelling device first and foremost. The narrative was fairly gripping and, although mostly predictable in content, was more or less unpredictable in execution. The reader knows at the outset that Russell shall find his way at the end of the book to a certain status, because he is introduced as bearing that status, but the path to get there is communicated vibrantly and through pretty great storytelling.

There are a few problems, however. In my opinion, this is not a work for readers unfamiliar with logic and/or modern analytic philosophy. If you did not have a background in logic or computer science, you would...

1. Be unable to identify figures, such as Wittgenstein and Frege, with respect to their actual significance; they would likely appear as mere caricatures.

2. Be unclear about some of the actual arguments-- for example, while the authors admirably attempt to explain the effects of set theory on infinite sets with the classic hotel-room example, I myself was confused-- and I knew how it worked! If a reader without prior exposure to infinite sets, much less set theory, read the explanation, I'm fairly confident that they would likely be more perplexed by the end than they were at the beginning. I may be incorrect, though.

3. Be uncertain why Russell matters. [SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD! TREAD LIGHTLY!] The authors seem fairly dismissive about Russell to me, and reduce him in the end to being a Subjective-Responsibility-Drone. While he's presented as having done a great job of tearing down mathematics, we're lead to believe that he was unable to add anything new to the conversation (Principia Mathematica was moot when it was published, as the story goes), and we're not lead to believe, at least as far as I gathered from my initial reading, that he had any longlasting positive contribution to philosophy.

Additionally, the madness/logic debate is tossed around a bit, but not very convincingly argued-- there's some promising moments throughout the work, but don't expect any masterful resolution or innovative views on the issue.

However, don't let me discourage you; despite its problems, Logicomix is a great work, and I really did enjoy it! I read the entire thing during a single, several-hour sitting at a fast food restaurant, and really enjoyed it. If nothing else, it taught me a little about Russell's life and sparked my interest to do more research outside of the book.

Plus, it was an enjoyable book. And that's saying something, too.