“It becomes the urgent duty of mathematicians, therefore, to meditate about the essence of mathematics, its motivations and goals and the ideas that must bind divergent interests together.”
Richard Courant, "Mathematics in the Modern World", Scientific American, Vol 211, (Sep 1964), p. 42
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Richard Courant4
German American mathematician (1888-1972) 1888–1972Related quotes
Benoît Mandelbrot (1924–2010) Polish-born, French and American mathematician
Source: The Fractalist (2012), Ch. 17, p. 178
“It is not of the essence of mathematics to be conversant with the ideas of number and quantity.”
George Boole (1815–1864) English mathematician, philosopher and logician
Source: 1850s, An Investigation of the Laws of Thought (1854), p. 12; Cited in: Alexander Bain (1870) Logic, p. 191
“Its not about the goal. Its about growing to become the person that can accomplish that goal.”
Anthony Robbins (1960) Author, actor, professional speaker
“The essence of mathematics lies entirely in its freedom.”
Georg Cantor (1845–1918) mathematician, inventor of set theory
Variant translation: The essence of mathematics is in its freedom.
From Kant to Hilbert (1996)
Maurice Wilkes (1913–2010) British computer scientist
Sect. 6: Summary
"Computers Then and Now" (1968)
Thomas Little Heath (1861–1940) British civil servant and academic
Preface p. v
A History of Greek Mathematics (1921) Vol. 1. From Thales to Euclid
“Mathematics is written for mathematicians”
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) Renaissance mathematician, Polish astronomer, physician
Translation as quoted in The Gradual Acceptance of the Copernican Theory of the Universe (1917) by Dorothy Stimson, p. 115 <br class="br">Context: If perchance there should be foolish speakers who, together with those ignorant of all mathematics, will take it upon themselves to decide concerning these things, and because of some place in the Scriptures wickedly distorted to their purpose, should dare to assail this my work, they are of no importance to me, to such an extent do I despise their judgment as rash. For it is not unknown that Lactantius, the writer celebrated in other ways but very little in mathematics, spoke somewhat childishly of the shape of the earth when he derided those who declared the earth had the shape of a ball. So it ought not to surprise students if such should laugh at us also. Mathematics is written for mathematicians to whom these our labors, if I am not mistaken, will appear to contribute something even to the ecclesiastical state the headship of which your Holiness now occupies. (Author's preface to de revolutionibus) http://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Pagina:Nicolai_Copernici_torinensis_De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium.djvu/8