Paper Title
Paper Abstract
Berkeley, arguing against Barrow, claims that the infinite divisibility of finite lines is neither an axiom nor a theorem in Euclid The Thirteen Books of The Elements. Instead, he suggests that it is rooted in ancient prejudice. In this paper, I attempt to substantiate Berkeley’s claims by looking carefully at the history and practice of ancient geometry as a first step towards understanding Berkeley’s mathematical atomism.
Start Date
6-6-2020 4:00 PM
Time Zone
Pacific Standard Time
End Date
6-6-2020 4:55 PM
Location
Author's Homepage
http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~dmwakima/
Keywords
Berkeley, infinite divisibility, continuity, incommensurables, Pythagoreans, Aristotle
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Berkeley on Infinite Divisibility
Berkeley, arguing against Barrow, claims that the infinite divisibility of finite lines is neither an axiom nor a theorem in Euclid The Thirteen Books of The Elements. Instead, he suggests that it is rooted in ancient prejudice. In this paper, I attempt to substantiate Berkeley’s claims by looking carefully at the history and practice of ancient geometry as a first step towards understanding Berkeley’s mathematical atomism.