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Quote by Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle

“Mathematicians are like lovers. Grant a mathematician the least principle, and he will draw from it a consequence which you must also grant him, and from this consequence another.”

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Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle

Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle was a French author known for his works in philosophy, literature, and science. Born on February 11, 1657, and passing away on January 9, 1757, he was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment era. His writings often explored the intersection of science and religion, and he is best known for his popularization of scientific ideas. more

“I remember one occasion when I tried to add a little seasoning to a review, but I wasn't allowed to. The paper was by Dorothy Maharam, and it was a perfectly sound contribution to abstract measure theory. The domains of the underlying measures were not sets but elements of more general Boolean algebras, and their range consisted not of positive numbers but of certain abstract equivalence classes. My proposed first sentence was: "The author discusses valueless measures in pointless spaces."”

“...he seemed to approach the grave as an hyperbolic curve approaches a line, less directly as he got nearer, till it was doubtful if he would ever reach it at all.”

Ifs Lines Approach Mathematics Math Graves Mathematical Curves Doubtful

Book:Far from the Madding Crowd: Works of Hardy

Source: Far from the Madding Crowd: Works of Hardy

“[The works of Archimedes] are without exception, monuments of mathematical exposition; the gradual revelation of the plan of attack, the masterly ordering of the propositions, the stern elimination of everything not immediately relevant to the purpose, the finish of the whole, are so impressive in their perfection as to create a feeling akin to awe in the mind of the reader.”

Mind Whole Feelings Purpose Plans Reader Perfection Mathematics Math Mathematical Revelations Awe Exception Relevant Propositions Impressive Monument Elimination

Author:Thomas Little Heath

“...to characterize the import of pure geometry, we might use the standard form of a movie-disclaimer: No portrayal of the characteristics of geometrical figures or of the spatial properties of relationships of actual bodies is intended, and any similarities between the primitive concepts and their customary geometrical connotations are purely coincidental.”

Source: The Philosophy of Carl G. Hempel: Studies in Science, Explanation, and Rationality

Quote by Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle

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