Duel at Dawn: Heroes, Martyrs, and the Rise of Modern Mathematics (New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine)

In the fog of a Paris dawn in 1832, Évariste Galois, the twenty-year-old founder of modern algebra, was shot and killed in a duel. That gunshot, suggests Amir Alexander, marked the end of one era in mathematics and the beginning of another. Arguing that not even the purest mathematics can be separated from its cultural background, Alexander shows how popular stories about mathematicians are really morality tales about their craft as it relates to the world. In the eighteenth century, Alexander says, mathematicians were idealized as child-like, eternally curious, and uniquely suited to reveal the hidden harmonies of the world. But in the nineteenth century, brilliant mathematicians like Galois became Romantic heroes like poets, artists, and musicians. The ideal mathematician was now an alienated loner, driven to despondency by an uncomprehending world. A field that had been focused on the natural world, now sought to create its own reality. Higher mathematics became a world unto itself–pure and governed solely by the laws of reason. In this strikingly original book that takes us from Paris to St. Petersburg, Norway to Transylvania, Alexander introduces us to national heroes and outcasts, innocents, swindlers, and martyrs–all uncommonly gifted creators of modern mathematics. (20100413) In the fog of a Paris dawn in 1832, Evariste Galois, the twenty-year-old founder of modern algebra, was shot and killed in a duel. That gunshot, suggests Amir Alexander, marked the end of one era in mathematics and the beginning of another. Arguing that not even the purest mathematics can be separated from its cultural background, Alexander shows how popular stories about mathematicians are really morality tales about their craft as it relates to the world. In the eighteenth century, Alexander says, mathematicians were idealized as child-like, eternally curious, and uniquely suited to reveal the hidden harmonies of the world. But in the nineteenth century, brilliant mathematicians like Galois became Romantic heroes like poets, artists, and musicians. The ideal mathematician was now an alienated loner, driven to despondency by an uncomprehending world. A field that had been focused on the natural world, now sought to create its own reality. Higher mathematics became a world unto itself - pure and governed solely by the laws of reason. In this strikingly original book that takes us from Paris to St. Petersburg, Norway to Transylvania, Alexander introduces us to national heroes and outcasts, innocents, swindlers, and martyrs - all uncommonly gifted creators of modern mathematics In the fog of a Paris dawn in 1832, Évariste Galois, the 20-year-old founder of modern algebra, was shot and killed in a duel. That gunshot, suggests Amir Alexander, marked the end of one era in mathematics and the beginning of another.Arguing that not even the purest mathematics can be separated from its cultural background, Alexander shows how popular stories about mathematicians are really morality tales about their craft as it relates to the world. In the eighteenth century, Alexander says, mathematicians were idealized as child-like, eternally curious, and uniquely suited to reveal the hidden harmonies of the world. But in the nineteenth century, brilliant mathematicians like Galois became Romantic heroes like poets, artists, and musicians. The ideal mathematician was now an alienated loner, driven to despondency by an uncomprehending world. A field that had been focused on the natural world now sought to create its own reality. Higher mathematics became a world unto itself—pure and governed solely by the laws of reason.In this strikingly original book that takes us from Paris to St. Petersburg, Norway to Transylvania, Alexander introduces us to national heroes and outcasts, innocents, swindlers, and martyrs–all uncommonly gifted creators of modern mathematics. In the fog of a Paris dawn in 1832, variste Galois, the 20-year-old founder of modern algebra, was shot and killed in a duel. That gunshot, suggests Amir Alexander , marked the end of one era in mathematics and the beginning of another. Arguing that not even the purest mathematics can be separated from its cultural background, Alexander shows how popular stories about mathematicians are really morality tales about their craft as it relates to the world. In the eighteenth century, Alexander says, mathematicians were idealized as child-like, eternally curious, and uniquely suited to reveal the hidden harmonies of the world. But in the nineteenth century, brilliant mathematicians like Galois became Romantic heroes like poets, artists, and musicians. The ideal mathematician was now an alienated loner, driven to despondency by an uncomprehending world. A field that had been focused on the natural world now sought to create its own reality. Higher mathematics became a world unto itselfpure and governed solely by the laws of reason. In this strikingly original book that takes us from Paris to St. Petersburg, Norway to Transylvania, Alexander introduces us to national heroes and outcasts, innocents, swindlers, and martyrsall uncommonly gifted creators of modern mathematics. Contents......Page 8 Introduction: A Showdown in Paris......Page 12 1 The Eternal Child......Page 30 2 Natural Mathematics......Page 60 3 A Habit of Insult: The Short and Impertinent Life of Évariste Galois......Page 88 4 The Exquisite Dance of the Blue Nymphs......Page 114 5 A Martyr to Contempt......Page 138 6 The Poetry of Mathematics......Page 170 7 Purity and Rigor: The Birth of Modern Mathematics......Page 195 8 The Gifted Swordsman......Page 226 Conclusion: Portrait of a Mathematician......Page 264 Notes......Page 286 Acknowledgments......Page 310 Index......Page 312 Contents 8 Introduction: A Showdown in Paris 12 1 The Eternal Child 30 2 Natural Mathematics 60 3 A Habit of Insult: The Short and Impertinent Life of Évariste Galois 88 4 The Exquisite Dance of the Blue Nymphs 114 5 A Martyr to Contempt 138 6 The Poetry of Mathematics 170 7 Purity and Rigor: The Birth of Modern Mathematics 195 8 The Gifted Swordsman 226 Conclusion: Portrait of a Mathematician 264 Notes 286 Acknowledgments 310 Index 312 0674046617 Introduction: Showdown in Paris Natural Men The Eternal Child Natural Mathematics Heroes and Martyrs A Habit of Insult: The Short and Impertinent Life of Evariste Galois The Exquisite Dance of the Blue Nymphs A Martyr to Contempt Romantic Mathematics The Poetry of Mathematics Purity and Rigor: The Birth of Modern Mathematics A New and Different World The Gifted Swordsman Conclusion: Portrait of a Mathematician Notes Acknowledgements Index 301 In this strikingly original book that takes readers from Paris to St. Petersburg, Norway to Transylvania, Alexander introduces those national heroes and outcasts, innocents, swindlers, and martyrs who were also the uncommonly gifted creators of modern mathematics. This book explores the relation between romanticism and the rise of abstraction in mathematics during the 18th century.