Related papers: Powers and division in the 'mathematical part' of …
In a first article (referred here as B-O), we studied the first part of the so-called 'mathematical part' of Plato's Theaetetus, i.e. Theodorus' lesson. In the present one, we consider the sequel and the end of the passage (147d7-148b2), as…
This article is the first part of a study of the so-called 'mathematical part' of Plato's Theaetetus (147d-148b). The subject of this 'mathematical part' is the irrationality, one of the most important topics in early Greek mathematics. As…
In this paper, we study the so-called 'Mathematical part' of Plato's Theaetetus. Its subject concerns the incommensurability of certain magnitudes, in modern terms the question of the rationality or irrationality of the square roots of…
Both lectures focus on the first part of the so-called 'mathematical part' of Plato's Theaetetus. In this passage, the young Theaetetus briefly recounts the mathematical lesson given by the geometer Theodorus. The first lecture delves into…
Even though Plato's philosophy in ancient times was always closely associated with mathematics, modern Platonic scholarship, during the last five centuries, has moved steadily toward de-mathematization. The present work aims to outline a…
In different passages of his dialogues, Plato showed deep mathematically-based physical insights. Regrettably most readers overlooked the respective statements, or they utterly did not understand those hints since they were full of…
In the present chapter, we obtain the reconstruction of Theaetetus' theory of ratios of magnitudes based, according to Aristotle's Topics 158b, on the definition of proportion in terms of equal anthyphairesis. Our reconstruction is built on…
In a previous article, we discussed a paradox in Timaeus' cosmology: that there is no void inside the universe, even though it is entirely filled with polyhedra-a mathematical impossibility (Brisson-Ofman 2025). In the present article, we…
To account for the first proof of existence of an irrational magnitude, historians of science as well as commentators of Aristotle refer to the texts on the incommensurability of the diagonal in Prior Analytics, since they are the most…
This paper revisits the foundations of mathematical proof through the lens of Aristotle's threefold conception of truth: sensory evidence, axiomatic definition, and syllogistic deduction. I argue that modern mathematics has too often…
The main aim of this article is to defend the thesis that Plato apprehended the structure of incommensurable magnitudes in a way that these magnitudes correspond in a unique and well defined manner to the modern concept of the "Dedekind…
It will be shown in this article that an ontological approach for some problems related to the interpretation of Quantum Mechanics could emerge from a re-evaluation of the main paradox of early Greek thought: the paradox of Being and…
In this paper the claim that Zeno's paradoxes have been solved is contested. Although no one has ever touched Zeno without refuting him (Whitehead), it will be our aim to show that, whatever it was that was refuted, it was certainly not…
This article discusses the logical errors in the liar paradox, G\"odel's incompleteness theorems, Russell's paradox, and the halting problem. In order to avoid these errors, a redefinition of logic has been presented, which is concluded as…
This is an essay in what might be called ``mathematical metaphysics.'' There is a fundamental duality that run through mathematics and the natural sciences. The duality starts as the logical level; it is represented by the Boolean logic of…
This essay traces the history of three interconnected strands. Firstly, changes in the concept of number, secondly, the study of the qualities of number, which evolved into number theory, and thirdly, the nature of mathematics itself, from…
The usual $\epsilon,\delta$-definition of the limit of a function (whether presented at a rigorous or an intuitive level) requires a "candidate $L$" for the limit value. Thus, we have to start our first calculus course with "guessing"…
In the present work it is shown, by an examination of the Platonic dialogues Theaetetus, Sophistes, Politicus, and Philebus, that (a) a Platonic Idea is the philosophic analogue of a pair of lines incommensurable in length only, (b) the…
Basic arithmetic is the cornerstone of mathematics and computer sciences. In arithmetic, 'division by zero' is an undefined operation and any attempt at extending logic for algebraic division to incorporate division by zero has resulted in…
In this essay we examine some aspects of the classical theory of definition as codified in Aristotle's \emph{Topics} and Porphyry's \emph{Eisagog\^e} in the light of the way definition is carried out in modern mathematical practice. Our…