Abstract / Synopsis
The history of mathematics is nowadays practiced primarily by professional historians rather than mathematicians, as was the norm a few decades ago. There is a strong consensus among these historians that the old-fashioned style of history is “obsolete,” and that “the gains in historical understanding are incomparably greater” in the more “historically sensitive” works of today. I maintain that this self-congratulatory attitude is ill-founded, and that the alleged superiority of modern historiographical standards ultimately rests on a dubious redefinition of the purpose of history rather than intrinsic merit.
DOI
10.5642/jhummath.201402.12
Rights Information
© Viktor Blåsjö
Recommended Citation
Viktor Blåsjö, "A Critique of the Modern Consensus in the Historiography of Mathematics," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 4 Issue 2 (July 2014), pages 113-123. DOI: 10.5642/jhummath.201402.12. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol4/iss2/12
