Drawing primarily from historical examples, this book explains the tremendous role that numbers and, in particular, mathematics play in all aspects of our civilization and culture. The lively style and illustrative examples will engage the reader who wants to understand the many ways in which mathematics enables science, technology, art, music, politics, and the rational foundations of human thought. Each chapter focuses on the influence of mathematics in a specific field and on a specific historical figure, such as Pythagoras: Numbers and Symbol; Bach: Numbers and Music; Descartes: Numbers and Space.