1993/04/01 by N. M. Swerdlow · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Science and Climate Studies #Computational Physics and Python Applications #History and Developments in Astronomy #Philosophy #Epistemology
paper · doi:10.2307/2709984
openalex publication_date 1993/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
In 1464 Johannes Muller ofK6nigsberg, known as Regiomontanus, gave a lecture atthe University ofPadua on the dignity and utility ofthe mathematical sciences. Since arriving in Italy a little over two years earlier, he had learned Greek in the house of his patron Cardinal Bessarion, for the first time read Archimedes andApollonius, andhadjustdiscoveredamanuscriptofDiophantus, all ofwhich he wished to make known to his listeners so that they too could share his excitement at the rediscovery of the treasures of ancient mathematics. In extolling the virtues of the mathematical sciences, he contrasted the obscurity of philosophy, scholastic philosophy-Cnot even Aristotle himself, ifhe came back to life, would be thought adequately to understand his disciples and followers-with the certainty of mathematics, remarking, most memorably: This no one unless mad has dared to assert of our sciences, since neither age nor the customs of men can take anything away from them. The theorems of Euclid have the same certainty today as a thousand years ago. The discoveries of Archimedes will instill no less admiration in men to come after a thousand centuries than the delight instilled by our own reading. Of course he is right-although his prediction for the survival of humanity is very optimistic-mathematics does have the highest certainty and the longest durability of any human creation. Even in antiquity this was recognized, for Eudemus, slightly before the time of Euclid, wrote histories of geometry and astronomy to record the discoveries of what were then also assumed to be imperishable truths. Euclid is still with us while Eudemus has perished, showing that