ISBN: 9780226399003

In 1655, the philosopher Thomas Hobbes claimed he had solved the centuries-old problem of "squaring of the circle" (constructing a square equal in area to a given circle). With a scathing… More...

In 1655, the philosopher Thomas Hobbes claimed he had solved the centuries-old problem of "squaring of the circle" (constructing a square equal in area to a given circle). With a scathing rebuttal to Hobbes's claims, the mathematician John Wallis began one of the longest and most intense intellectual disputes of all time. "Squaring the Circle" is a detailed account of this controversy, from the core mathematics to the broader philosophical, political, and religious issues at stake. Hobbes believed that by recasting geometry in a materialist mold, he could solve any geometric problem and thereby demonstrate the power of his materialist metaphysics. Wallis, a prominent Presbyterian divine as well as an eminent mathematician, refuted Hobbes's geometry as a means of discrediting his philosophy, which Wallis saw as a dangerous mix of atheism and pernicious political theory. Hobbes and Wallis's "battle of the books" illuminates the intimate relationship between science and crucial seventeenth-century debates over the limits of sovereign power and the existence of God. Media > Book, [PU: University of Chicago Press]<

2000, ISBN: 9780226399003

Paperback

University of Chicago Press, Paperback, Auflage: 1, 433 Seiten, Publiziert: 2000-01-01T00:00:01Z, Produktgruppe: Book, Hersteller-Nr.: Illustrated, 0.65 kg, Verkaufsrang: 1144122, History… More...

University of Chicago Press, Paperback, Auflage: 1, 433 Seiten, Publiziert: 2000-01-01T00:00:01Z, Produktgruppe: Book, Hersteller-Nr.: Illustrated, 0.65 kg, Verkaufsrang: 1144122, History & Philosophy, Science & Math, Subjects, Books, Graph Theory, Applied, Mathematics, History & Surveys, Politics & Social Sciences, Humanities, New, Used & Rental Textbooks, Specialty Boutique, Science & Mathematics, University of Chicago Press, 2000<