Titre

Poincaré on understanding mathematics

Description

Throughout his working life Henri Poincaré was concerned to promote the understanding of mathematics and physics. This is as apparent in his views about geometry, his conventionalism, and his theory of knowledge, as it is in his work on electricity and optics, on number theory, and function theory. This talk will argue that this is one of the ways Poincaré discharged his responsibilities as a scientist, and that it accounts not only for a surprising degree of unity in his work but also gives it its distinctive character – at once profound and elusive.

Date

2012-11-19

Créateur

Gray, Jeremy

Sujet

Philosophie des mathématiques