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He mentions Amir Alexander's book "Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World". It's a gripping read, I would highly recommend i
by mathgenius 5y ago
He mentions Amir Alexander's book "Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World". It's a gripping read, I would highly recommend it. Here is a quote:
On August 10, 1632, five men in flowing black robes convened
in a somber Roman palazzo to pass judgment on a deceptively
simple proposition: that a continuous line is composed
of distinct and infinitely tiny parts. With the stroke
of a pen the Jesuit fathers banned the doctrine of infinitesimals,
announcing that it could never be taught or even mentioned.
The concept was deemed dangerous and subversive, a threat
to the belief that the world was an orderly place, governed
by a strict and unchanging set of rules. If infinitesimals
were ever accepted, the Jesuits feared, the entire world
would be plunged into chaos.
- ogogmad 5y agoThis might be true, but I would be sceptical if you haven't read the primary sources. There's a website called Atheist History Blog which questions claims of there being a historical conflict between science and religion. Many stories of "martyrs for science" are often not as straightforward as they seem (e.g. Galileo, Giordano Bruno, Hypatia for some *@%$ing reason, etc.). Also, accounts of such a conflict usually blame the Catholic church: See the largely made up story around Christopher Columbus (written in largely protestant America circa 1800) for an example of this. I think the lesson here is to be as sceptical on matters of history as on mathematics and science.
- prionassembly 5y agoYou would enjoy "The information: a history, a theory, a flood" by James Gleick.