Edited by
Teun Koetsier, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Luc Bergmans, University of Paris IV Sorbonne, Paris, France
Description
Mathematics and the Divine seem to correspond to diametrically opposed tendencies of the human mind. Does the mathematician not seek what
is precisely defined, and do the objects intended by the mystic and the theologian not lie beyond definition? Is mathematics not Man's
search for a measure, and isn’t the Divine that which is immeasurable –
The present book shows that the domains of mathematics and the
Divine, which may seem so radically separated, have throughout history and across cultures, proved to be intimately related. Religious
activities such as the building of temples, the telling of ritual stories or the drawing of enigmatic figures all display distinct mathematical
features. Major philosophical systems dealing with the Absolute and theological speculations focussing on our knowledge of the Ultimate
have been based on or inspired by mathematics. A series of chapters by an international team of experts highlighting key figures, schools
and trains of thought is presented here. Chinese number mysticism, the views of Pythagoras and Plato and their followers, Nicholas of
Cusa's theological geometry, Spinozism and intuitionism as a philosophy of mathematics are treated side by side among many other themes
in an attempt at creating a global view on the relation of mathematics and Man’s quest for the Absolute in the course of history.
Audience:
Scholarly public working in history, philosophy, theology or mathematics and a more generally oriented, academic but less specialized public.
