Figures of Thought: Mathematics and Mathematical Texts. London &

New York:: Routledge, (1995)., 1995. 8vo. xiii, 183 pp. Figures, index. Silver-stamped black cloth, dust-jacket. Near fine. [br] ISBN: 9780415081467 "Rarely has the history and philosophy of mathematics been written about by mathematicians, and the analysis of mathematical texts themselves has been an area almost entirely unexplored. Figures of Thought looks at ways in which mathematical works can be read as texts and demonstrates that such readings provide a rich source of philosophical issues regarding mathematics: issues which traditional approaches to the history and philosophy of mathematics have neglected. David Reed offers the first sustained and critical attempt to find a consistent argument or narrative thread in mathematical texts. He selects mathematicians from a range of historical periods and compares their approaches to organizing and arguing texts, using an extended commentary of Euclid's Elements as a central structuring framework. In doing so he develops new and fascinating interpretations of mathematicians' work throughout history, from Descartes to Grothendieck and traces the implications of such an approach for the understanding of the history and development of mathematics." CONTENTS: Preface Introduction Part I: The Subject Matter of Geometry in Euclid, Descartes and Hilbert -- 1. The Opening of The Elements -- 2. Propositions and Proofs - Theorems and Problems Part II -- 1. The Contexts of Measurement -- 2. Number Theory in the 19th Century Appendix Part III Introduction -- 1. Types of Wholes -- 2. Generality in Contemporary Mathematics Conclusion.