Returns of geometry: from the Pythagoreans to mathematical modernism and beyond (Q2055099): Difference between revisions

A broad range of philosophical observations and reflections is brought to bear on the fashion in which mathematical theories deal with irrational, incompatible or even ``unthinkable'' components (incommensurables in ancient times, for example), a phenomenon referred to here as the alogon within the logon. From this perspective, the focus is on the interplay between geometry and algebra. Given that these ostensibly distinct areas have closely related histories reflecting deep influences on each other, it is instructive to see how they responded to areas of increasing abstraction and separation from phenomenal intuition. The author adopts a view, termed ``reality-within-realtity'', which offers an epistemological and ontological framework encompassing much of this modern development. It is a development in which, thanks largely to quantum physics, we do not have confidence about the ultimate nature of mathematical or physical objects. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1466.57001].