Plato and mathematics (Q677088)

The authors review Plato's life and writings. Instead of relying on well-known commentators, the authors let ``Plato speak for himself''. This is clear when we see a rather short bibliography of 18 items for such a vast program, organized through the discussion of Plato's Academy, Plato's mathematical background and Plato's philosophy of mathematics. They conclude that to Plato there never occurred the idea that one might have a geometry or arithmetic which bore no obvious relation to the sensible world, neither he ever conceived of the possibility of an astronomy or harmonics with no apparent connection to what is seen in the skies or heard in music. The authors see Plato's blending of scientific with moral, aesthetic, and even theological ideas, as firmly grounded in the mathematical development of the fifth and fourth centuries BC, rather than mysticism and pseudo-science, as seen by some modern intellectuals.