An Introduction to Mathematics — Alfred North Whitehead

The study of mathematics is apt to commence in disappointment The important applications of the science the theoretical interest of its ideas and the logical rigour of its methods all generate the expectation of a speedy introduction to processes of interest We are told that by its aid the stars are weighed ant the billeons of molecules in a drop of water are counted Yet like the ghost of Hamlet s father this great science eludes the eorts of our mental weapons to grasp it Tis here tis there tis gone and what we do see does not suggest the same excuse for illusiveness as suced for the ghost that it is too noble for our gross methods A show of violence if ever excusable may surely be oered to the trivial results which occupy the pages of some elementary mathematical treatises img src https s3 eu west 1 amazonaws com dia kitadagitim ckeditor_assets pictures 53 content_1_original_original jpg alt height 15 width 15 font size 1 color white font img