"But how can we avoid the use of human language? The... symbol. Only by using a symbolic language not yet usurped by those vague ideas of space, time, continuity which have their origin in intuition and tend to obscure pure reason—only thus may we hope to build mathematics on the solid foundation of logic."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Academics from the United StatesMathematicians from the United StatesNon-fiction authorsPeople from LatviaHistorians of mathematics
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tobias_Dantzig
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Tobias Dantzig
Tobias Dantzig (February 19, 1884 – August 9, 1956) was a mathematician of Baltic German and Russian American heritage. His son, George Dantzig, is a key figure in the development of linear programming.
26 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Tobias Dantzig →
Related Quotes
"Greek thought was essentially non-algebraic, because it was so concrete. The abstract operations of algebra, which de…"
"The great Cartesian invention had its roots in those famous problems of antiquity which originated in the days of Pla…"
"The mathematician may be compared to a designer of garments, who is utterly oblivious of the creatures whom his garme…"
"The arithmetization of mathematics... which began with Weierstrass... had for its object the separation of purely mat…"
"The progress of mathematics has been most erratic, and... intuition has played a predominant rôle in it. ...It was th…"
"Between the philosopher's attitude towards the issue of reality and that of the mathematician there is this essential…"
"There exists among the most primitive tribes of Australia and Africa a system of numeration which has neither 5, 10, …"
"‘…the transition [to the Hindu number system], far from being immediate, extended over long centuries. The struggle b…"
"The preface to the French edition of that work contains the following passage: "To me the French edition of my work i…"
"In the history of mathematics, the "how" always preceded the "why," the technique of the subject preceded its philoso…"