Descartes's Secret Notebook

Descartes's Secret Notebook PDF Author: Amir D. Aczel
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767920341
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
René Descartes (1596–1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm “Cogito, ergo sum” marked the birth of the mind-body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates have made our physical and intellectual conquest of physical space possible. But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. Almost certainly a member of the occult brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, he kept a secret notebook, now lost, most of which was written in code. After Descartes’s death, Gottfried Leibniz, inventor of calculus and one of the greatest mathematicians in history, moved to Paris in search of this notebook—and eventually found it in the possession of Claude Clerselier, a friend of Descartes. Leibniz called on Clerselier and was allowed to copy only a couple of pages—which, though written in code, he amazingly deciphered there on the spot. Leibniz’s hastily scribbled notes are all we have today of Descartes’s notebook, which has disappeared. Why did Descartes keep a secret notebook, and what were its contents? The answers to these questions lead Amir Aczel and the reader on an exciting, swashbuckling journey, and offer a fascinating look at one of the great figures of Western culture.

Descartes's Secret Notebook

Descartes's Secret Notebook PDF Author: Amir D. Aczel
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767920341
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Get Book

Book Description
René Descartes (1596–1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm “Cogito, ergo sum” marked the birth of the mind-body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates have made our physical and intellectual conquest of physical space possible. But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. Almost certainly a member of the occult brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, he kept a secret notebook, now lost, most of which was written in code. After Descartes’s death, Gottfried Leibniz, inventor of calculus and one of the greatest mathematicians in history, moved to Paris in search of this notebook—and eventually found it in the possession of Claude Clerselier, a friend of Descartes. Leibniz called on Clerselier and was allowed to copy only a couple of pages—which, though written in code, he amazingly deciphered there on the spot. Leibniz’s hastily scribbled notes are all we have today of Descartes’s notebook, which has disappeared. Why did Descartes keep a secret notebook, and what were its contents? The answers to these questions lead Amir Aczel and the reader on an exciting, swashbuckling journey, and offer a fascinating look at one of the great figures of Western culture.

Descartes's Secret Notebook

Descartes's Secret Notebook PDF Author: Amir D. Aczel
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307494802
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Get Book

Book Description
René Descartes (1596—1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm “Cogito, ergo sum” marked the birth of the mind-body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates has made our intellectual conquest of physical space possible. But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. Almost certainly a member of the occult brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, he kept a secret notebook, now lost, most of which was written in code. After Descartes’s death, Gottfried Leibniz, inventor of calculus and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, moved to Paris in search of this notebook–and eventually found it in the possession of Claude Clerselier, a friend of Descartes’s. Liebniz called on Clerselier and was allowed to copy only a couple of pages–which, though written in code, he amazingly deciphered there on the spot. Liebniz’s hastily scribbled notes are all we have today of Descartes’s notebook. Why did Descartes keep a secret notebook, and what were its contents? The answers to these questions will lead the reader on an exciting, swashbuckling journey, and offer a fascinating look at one of the great figures of Western culture.

Descartes' Secret Notebook

Descartes' Secret Notebook PDF Author: Amir D. Aczel
Publisher: Broadway
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
René Descartes (1596â€"1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm “Cogito, ergo sum†marked the birth of the mind-body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates has made our intellectual conquest of physical space possible. But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. Almost certainly a member of the occult brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, he kept a secret notebook, now lost, most of which was written in code. After Descartes's death, Gottfried Leibniz, inventor of calculus and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, moved to Paris in search of this notebookâ€"and eventually found it in the possession of Claude Clerselier, a friend of Descartes's. Liebniz called on Clerselier and was allowed to copy only a couple of pagesâ€"which, though written in code, he amazingly deciphered there on the spot. Liebniz's hastily scribbled notes are all we have today of Descartes's notebook. Why did Descartes keep a secret notebook, and what were its contents? The answers to these questions will lead the reader on an exciting, swashbuckling journey, and offer a fascinating look at one of the great figures of Western culture.

Descartes's Imagination

Descartes's Imagination PDF Author: Dennis L. Sepper
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520200500
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
"A work of major importance for the interpretation of Descartes's development and for the understanding of the function of the imagination in Descartes's early works. Descartes's Imagination will be a must in Descartes and imagination studies. It is long overdue."--Eva T. H. Brann, author of The World of Imagination: Sum and Substance "A significant contribution to our understanding of the development of Descartes's philosophy."--William R. Shea, author of The Magic of Numbers and Motion: The Scientific Career of Rene Descartes

The Mystery of the Aleph

The Mystery of the Aleph PDF Author: Amir D. Aczel
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743422996
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
A compelling narrative that blends the story of infinity with the tragic tale of a tormented and brilliant mathematician.

The Jesuit and the Skull

The Jesuit and the Skull PDF Author: Amir Aczel
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781594483356
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Fermat?s Last Theorem, ?an extraordinary story?( Philadelphia Inquirer) of discovery, evolution, science, and faith. In 1929, French Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a part of a group of scientists that uncovered a skull that became known as Peking Man, a key evolutionary link that left Teilhard torn between science and his ancient faith, and would leave him ostracized by his beloved Catholic Church. His struggle is at the heart of The Jesuit and the Skull, which takes readers across continents and cultures in a fascinating exploration of one of the twentieth century?s most important discoveries, and one of the world?s most provocative pieces of evidence in the roiling debate between creationism and evolution.

Masters of Mathematics

Masters of Mathematics PDF Author: Robert A. Nowlan
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9463008934
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
The original title for this work was “Mathematical Literacy, What Is It and Why You Need it”. The current title reflects that there can be no real learning in any subject, unless questions of who, what, when, where, why and how are raised in the minds of the learners. The book is not a mathematical text, and there are no assigned exercises or exams. It is written for reasonably intelligent and curious individuals, both those who value mathematics, aware of its many important applications and others who have been inappropriately exposed to mathematics, leading to indifference to the subject, fear and even loathing. These feelings are all consequences of meaningless presentations, drill, rote learning and being lost as the purpose of what is being studied. Mathematics education needs a radical reform. There is more than one way to accomplish this. Here the author presents his approach of wrapping mathematical ideas in a story. To learn one first must develop an interest in a problem and the curiosity to find how masters of mathematics have solved them. What is necessary to be mathematically literate? It’s not about solving algebraic equations or even making a geometric proof. These are valuable skills but not evidence of literacy. We often seek answers but learning to ask pertinent questions is the road to mathematical literacy. Here is the good news: new mathematical ideas have a way of finding applications. This is known as “the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics.”

Sophie's World

Sophie's World PDF Author: Jostein Gaarder
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 1466804270
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
One day Sophie comes home from school to find two questions in her mail: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" Before she knows it she is enrolled in a correspondence course with a mysterious philosopher. Thus begins Jostein Gaarder's unique novel, which is not only a mystery, but also a complete and entertaining history of philosophy.

The Book of Numbers

The Book of Numbers PDF Author: Peter Bentley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781844033966
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Numbers are at the heart of the existence of the universe and everything that is in it, and yet most of us have very little everyday understanding of the fundamentals of mathematics, let alone their part in philosophy, art, music, architecture, quantum mechanics, physics, computer technology, literature, biology, commerce, religion, and the occult; indeed every discipline which has been and is the proper study of man.This beautifully illustrated book, using computer imagery, historical drawing, paintings and photography gives a synopsis of many of the most important mathematical discoveries in each of these categories and captures something of the spirit of the men and women who have contributed to unravelling the secrets of numbers. From the discovery of zero to infinity, The Book of Numbers is calculated to amaze and astound the reader and even encourage further in depth study in the subject.

Reinventing the Sacred

Reinventing the Sacred PDF Author: Stuart A. Kauffman
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458722066
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 534

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Book Description
Consider the complexity of a living cell after 3.8 billion years of evolution. Is it more awesome to suppose that a transcendent God fashioned the cell at a stroke, or to realize that it evolved with no Almighty Hand, but arose on its own in the c...