Crowdsourcing a list of general resources on the purpose, value, and nature of mathematics

Parallel to the other crowdsourced resource drive on this blog, I would like to collect books, writings and other resources that discuss or explain the purpose(s), value(s), and nature of mathematics. As seen in reactions to recent events, one can see many oversimplified or inaccurate perceptions of mathematics, such as “Mathematical research is about solving open problems.” “The main reason for posing an open problem is to obtain its solution.” “We should only work on problems that are of immediate benefit to society.” “We should prioritize maximizing the number of problems solved.” The question of what mathematics actually is is far more complex than these assertions might suggest. Here are some classic books and articles on these topics: Vladimir Arnold, “On teaching mathematics“, 1997 (somewhat provocative in tone, but still interesting) Philip Davis, Reuben Hersh, “The Mathematical Experience“, 1981 Timothy Gowers, “The two cultures of mathematics“, 2000 Timothy Gowers,…