The Creation is Binary
Jul. 24th, 2003 04:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ursulaAm reading up on Leibniz, as part of my summer employment. The incomprehensible quote of the day is from an article by O'Connor and Robinson:
The concept of mysterious inborn genius may be a stereotype, but surely sudden acquisition of mysterious mathematical genius is even more unlikely? What's wrong with the idea that a man who was simultaneously interested in philosophy, theology, and composing Latin poetry just didn't get around to thinking about mathematics right away? Can't we allow him an incubation period for inventing calculus?
On the theological front, Leibniz thought binary arithmetic was a symbol of God's creation of the universe (everything from 0). Contemplate this Mystery as you stare at your computer, O Reader : )
- Nor was Oldenburg to know that Leibniz had changed from the rather ordinary mathematician who visited London, into a creative mathematical genius.
The concept of mysterious inborn genius may be a stereotype, but surely sudden acquisition of mysterious mathematical genius is even more unlikely? What's wrong with the idea that a man who was simultaneously interested in philosophy, theology, and composing Latin poetry just didn't get around to thinking about mathematics right away? Can't we allow him an incubation period for inventing calculus?
On the theological front, Leibniz thought binary arithmetic was a symbol of God's creation of the universe (everything from 0). Contemplate this Mystery as you stare at your computer, O Reader : )
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-24 09:28 pm (UTC)