Abstract: In a piece published in 1981, H. M. Edwards touts the benefits of reading the masters. A quarter-century later, Edwards takes seriously his own advice by publishing an encomium on Euler's Institutiones (1755). While we agree with Edwards that we shall all do well by studying the masters, we argue that to derive the full benefit, one must read historically important texts without interposing a lens formed by one's own mathematical accomplishments. We show, in particular, that Edwards misses much of the style and substance of Euler's Institutiones by reading the text through a constructivist lens.
The paper is devoted to the analysis of Harold M. Edwards' interpretation of Euler's \textit{Institutiones calculi differentialis} (1755). It is shown that Edwards missed much of the style and substance of Euler's work by reading the text through a lens formed by his own mathematical accomplishments, in this case: through a constructive lens.
Recommendations
- Euler's treatises on infinitesimal analysis: \textit{Introductio in analysin, infinitorum, Institutiones calculi differentialis, Institutionum calculie integralis}
- Publication:4486416
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1942866
- Geometry and analysis in Euler's integral calculus
- Euler and analysis: case studies and historiographical perspectives
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Cited in
(7)- Is Leibnizian calculus embeddable in first order logic?
- Gregory's sixth operation
- Cauchy's infinitesimals, his sum theorem, and foundational paradigms
- The Mathematical Intelligencer flunks the Olympics
- Controversies in the foundations of analysis: comments on Schubring's \textit{Conflicts}
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- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1466148 (Why is no real title available?)
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