Philosophy
Omar Khayyam
1048-1131
Quatrain XI in his 1st edition:
Omar Khayyam was a Persian astronomer, mathematician, and poet in the 11th Century, famous today for Edward Fitzgerald's 1859 translations of his works into English.
From Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra [1070]:
By the help of God and with His precious assistance, I say that Algebra is a scientific art. The objects with which it deals are absolute numbers and measurable quantities which, though themselves unknown, are related to "things" which are known, whereby the determination of the unknown quantities is possible. Such a thing is either a quantity or a unique rlation, which is only determined by careful examination. What one seaches for in the algebraic art are the relations which lead from the known to the unknown, to discover which is the object of Algebra as stated above. The perfection of this art consists in knowledge of the scientific method by which one determines numerical and geometric unknowns.
I was unable to devote myself to the learning of this algebra and the continued concentration upon it, because of obstacles in the vagaries of time which hindered me; for we have been deprived of all the people of knowledge save for a group, small in number, with many troubles, whose concern in life is to snatch the opportunity, when time is asleep, to devote themselves meanwhile to the investigation and perfection of a science; for the majority of people who imitate philosophers confuse the true with the false, and they do nothing but deceive and pretend knowledge, and they do not use what they know of the sciences except for base and material purposes; and if they see a certain person seeking for the right and preferring the truth, doing his best to refute the false and untrue and leaving aside hypocrisy and deceit, they make a fool of him and mock him.
Omar Khayyam
The Rubaiyat
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
- The Mark Steel Lectures - Descartes
Rene Descartes is indubitably (get it?) one of the most influential and ambitious thinkers of all time. Look at him looking all French... :) One of the contributions for which I admire him most is the unprecedented unification of algebra and geometry...
- Algebra Ii--dead?
"Nicholson Baker Argues that Algebra II Shouldn’t Be a Required Course" August 19th, 2013 Harper’s Magazine Young people, rejoice, you have a friend in Nicholson Baker (though we do recommend you wait a couple more years before reading his novels)....
- Deceased--john R. Stallings Jr.
John R. Stallings Jr. 1935 to November 24th, 2008 "John R. Stallings Jr., 73, California Mathematician, Is Dead" by Kenneth Chang January 19th, 2009 The New York Times John R. Stallings Jr., who found a proof for part of the Poincaré Conjecture, one...
- Deceased--henri Paul Cartan
Henri Paul Cartan July 8th, 1904 to August 13th, 2008 "Henri Cartan, French Mathematician, Is Dead at 104" by Kenneth Chang August 25, 2008 The New York Times Henri Cartan, a mathematician known for meticulous proofs and for inspiring a revival of...
- Single Events/scientific Epistemology
The following is an excerpted and edited conversation from a physics chat room [October 6th, 2003]. The discussion was initiated by member "X" and essentially asked if a event occurring once can be admitted to the realm of scientific epistemology? Thus,...
Philosophy
Omar Khayyam...birthday
Omar Khayyam 1048-1131
Quatrain XI in his 1st edition:
Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness -
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness -
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.
Omar Khayyam was a Persian astronomer, mathematician, and poet in the 11th Century, famous today for Edward Fitzgerald's 1859 translations of his works into English.
From Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra [1070]:
By the help of God and with His precious assistance, I say that Algebra is a scientific art. The objects with which it deals are absolute numbers and measurable quantities which, though themselves unknown, are related to "things" which are known, whereby the determination of the unknown quantities is possible. Such a thing is either a quantity or a unique rlation, which is only determined by careful examination. What one seaches for in the algebraic art are the relations which lead from the known to the unknown, to discover which is the object of Algebra as stated above. The perfection of this art consists in knowledge of the scientific method by which one determines numerical and geometric unknowns.
I was unable to devote myself to the learning of this algebra and the continued concentration upon it, because of obstacles in the vagaries of time which hindered me; for we have been deprived of all the people of knowledge save for a group, small in number, with many troubles, whose concern in life is to snatch the opportunity, when time is asleep, to devote themselves meanwhile to the investigation and perfection of a science; for the majority of people who imitate philosophers confuse the true with the false, and they do nothing but deceive and pretend knowledge, and they do not use what they know of the sciences except for base and material purposes; and if they see a certain person seeking for the right and preferring the truth, doing his best to refute the false and untrue and leaving aside hypocrisy and deceit, they make a fool of him and mock him.
Omar Khayyam
The Rubaiyat
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
- The Mark Steel Lectures - Descartes
Rene Descartes is indubitably (get it?) one of the most influential and ambitious thinkers of all time. Look at him looking all French... :) One of the contributions for which I admire him most is the unprecedented unification of algebra and geometry...
- Algebra Ii--dead?
"Nicholson Baker Argues that Algebra II Shouldn’t Be a Required Course" August 19th, 2013 Harper’s Magazine Young people, rejoice, you have a friend in Nicholson Baker (though we do recommend you wait a couple more years before reading his novels)....
- Deceased--john R. Stallings Jr.
John R. Stallings Jr. 1935 to November 24th, 2008 "John R. Stallings Jr., 73, California Mathematician, Is Dead" by Kenneth Chang January 19th, 2009 The New York Times John R. Stallings Jr., who found a proof for part of the Poincaré Conjecture, one...
- Deceased--henri Paul Cartan
Henri Paul Cartan July 8th, 1904 to August 13th, 2008 "Henri Cartan, French Mathematician, Is Dead at 104" by Kenneth Chang August 25, 2008 The New York Times Henri Cartan, a mathematician known for meticulous proofs and for inspiring a revival of...
- Single Events/scientific Epistemology
The following is an excerpted and edited conversation from a physics chat room [October 6th, 2003]. The discussion was initiated by member "X" and essentially asked if a event occurring once can be admitted to the realm of scientific epistemology? Thus,...