![]() The atmosphere at Cambridge was nearly unbearable for Hardy during the World War I years of 1914 to 1918. Mathematician George Pólya remembered that whenever he and Hardy walked past a church, Hardy would be sure that Pólya was between him and the building. For example, he refused to enter any religious building. Hardy exhibited his disbelief in odd ways. He took his disbelief in the doctrines of religion more seriously than most people seem to do. This was, of course, a joke, but there was something real behind it. Hardy always referred to God as his personal enemy. ![]() But his attitude about religion went deeper than mere disinterest. ![]() In church his energies were usually directed toward factoring numbers on hymn boards rather than toward worship. Portents of Hardy’s interest in mathematics as well as his lack of interest in religion were apparent at an early age. Titchmarsh recalled: “If he dined at high table in tennis clothes it was because he liked to do so, not because he had forgotten what he was wearing.” ![]() ![]() In an obituary of him, the mathematician E. Hardy grew up to be a scholar, a sportsman, an atheist, and a pacifist, but above all, he was an individualist. His parents valued education, but neither had been able to afford university. Hardy was born on February 7, 1877, in Cranleigh, Surrey. ![]()
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