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Re: [HM] Creating Numbers
Posted:
May 26, 2003 11:58 PM
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On 20 May 2003, Siegmund Probst quoted Gunnar Berg:
> Another, and much earlier, source of the notion is Giambattista Vico,
> according to whom the basis for our certainty on matters mathematical is
> that is a human creation. I have some references somewhere, but they will
> have to wait.
and added:
<<This point of view is already to be found in Thomas Hobbes, e.g. in
his "Six lessons to the professors of mathematics", 1656, epistle:>>
According to Isaiah Berlin (_Vico and Herder_), Vico knew Hobbes's _De
corpore_ and quoted "Geometrica demonstramus, quia facimus" from it
with approval, adding "Si physica demonstrare possemus, faceremus."
(Vico, _De nostri temporis studiorum ratione_ (1708), 85/23). Berlin
goes on to link this idea to Renaissance neoplatonism.
-Bill Everdell, St. Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY, USA
"Toute notre dignite/ consiste donc en la pense/e. C'est de la\ quâ'il
nous faut relever et non de l'espace et de la dure/e, que nous ne saurions
remplir. Travaillons donc a\ bien penser: voila\ le principe de la morale."
(Pascal, Pense/es, 1670, #200)
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