{"product_id":"infinitesimal-how-a-dangerous-mathematical-theory-shaped-the-modern-world-paperback","title":"Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAmir Alexander\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePulsing with drama and excitement, \u003ci\u003eInfinitesimal \u003c\/i\u003ecelebrates the spirit of discovery, innovation, and intellectual achievement-and it will forever change the way you look at a simple line.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn August 10, 1632, five men in flowing black robes convened in a somber Roman palazzo to pass judgment on a deceptively simple proposition: that a continuous line is composed of distinct and infinitely tiny parts. With the stroke of a pen the Jesuit fathers banned the doctrine of infinitesimals, announcing that it could never be taught or even mentioned. The concept was deemed dangerous and subversive, a threat to the belief that the world was an orderly place, governed by a strict and unchanging set of rules. If infinitesimals were ever accepted, the Jesuits feared, the entire world would be plunged into chaos. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eInfinitesimal\u003c\/i\u003e, the award-winning historian Amir Alexander exposes the deep-seated reasons behind the rulings of the Jesuits and shows how the doctrine persisted, becoming the foundation of calculus and much of modern mathematics and technology. Indeed, not everyone agreed with the Jesuits. Philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians across Europe embraced infinitesimals as the key to scientific progress, freedom of thought, and a more tolerant society. As Alexander reveals, it wasn't long before the two camps set off on a war that pitted Europe's forces of hierarchy and order against those of pluralism and change. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe story takes us from the bloody battlefields of Europe's religious wars and the English Civil War and into the lives of the greatest mathematicians and philosophers of the day, including Galileo and Isaac Newton, Cardinal Bellarmine and Thomas Hobbes, and Christopher Clavius and John Wallis. In Italy, the defeat of the infinitely small signaled an end to that land's reign as the cultural heart of Europe, and in England, the triumph of infinitesimals helped launch the island nation on a course that would make it the world's first modern state. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the imperial cities of Germany to the green hills of Surrey, from the papal palace in Rome to the halls of the Royal Society of London, Alexander demonstrates how a disagreement over a mathematical concept became a contest over the heavens and the earth. The legitimacy of popes and kings, as well as our beliefs in human liberty and progressive science, were at stake-the soul of the modern world hinged on the infinitesimal.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmir Alexander\u003c\/b\u003e teaches history at UCLA. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eGeometrical Landscapes\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDuel at Dawn\u003c\/i\u003e. His writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e and his work has been featured in \u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, on NPR, and more. He lives in Los Angeles, California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.2 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 12, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45055469518950,"sku":"9780374534998","price":28.84,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/UW1TMlE1cmdhZ2lxemc4c3hNY3RFdz09.webp?v=1773244235","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/infinitesimal-how-a-dangerous-mathematical-theory-shaped-the-modern-world-paperback","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}