Descartes' Secret Notebook: A True Tale of Mathematics, Mysticism, and the Quest to Understand the Universe.DESCARTES' SECRET NOTEBOOK: A True Tale of Mathematics, Mysticism mysticism (mĭs`tĭsĭzəm) [Gr.,=the practice of those who are initiated into the mysteries], the practice of putting oneself into, and remaining in, direct relation with God, the Absolute, or any unifying principle of life. , and the quest to Understand the Universe AMIR D. ACZEL Rene Descartes, the Frenchman responsible for both modern geometry and modern philosophy, had a secret. It was in the form of 16 pages of inscrutable in·scru·ta·ble adj. Difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable. See Synonyms at mysterious. [Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin writings full of coded numbers and symbols. Thanks to the German mathematician Wilhelm Leibniz' dutiful du·ti·ful adj. 1. Careful to fulfill obligations. 2. Expressing or filled with a sense of obligation. du copying, some of the pages were made available 3 centuries ago for scholars to puzzle over Verb 1. puzzle over - try to solve cerebrate, cogitate, think - use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; "I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere" , even though the originals disappeared. Aczel reveals the mystery behind these works and behind the generally unacknowledged mystical side of one of the Western world's greatest minds. He details Descartes' membership in a secret society of radical thinkers who combined elements of the occult with a rational approach to knowledge. He explains how this fraternity influenced some of Descartes' most famous writings as well as his explanation of the geometry of the cosmos, an interpretation recorded and then hidden away for fear of persecution. In this book, which reads like a mystery novel as well as a biography, Aczel describes Descartes' upbringing up·bring·ing n. The rearing and training received during childhood. upbringing Noun the education of a person during his or her formative years Noun 1. and early encounters with scholars who influenced his thinking. The author also describes how Leibniz' quest to develop his own mathematical theories This is a list of mathematical theories, by Wikipedia page.
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