Imagined Civilizations is popular PDF and ePub book, written by Roger Hart in 2013-08-15, it is a fantastic choice for those who relish reading online the Mathematics genre. Let's immerse ourselves in this engaging Mathematics book by exploring the summary and details provided below. Remember, Imagined Civilizations can be Read Online from any device for your convenience.
Imagined Civilizations Book PDF Summary
Roger Hart debunks the long-held belief that linear algebra developed independently in the West. Accounts of the seventeenth-century Jesuit Mission to China have often celebrated it as the great encounter of two civilizations. The Jesuits portrayed themselves as wise men from the West who used mathematics and science in service of their mission. Chinese literati-official Xu Guangqi (1562–1633), who collaborated with the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) to translate Euclid’s Elements into Chinese, reportedly recognized the superiority of Western mathematics and science and converted to Christianity. Most narratives relegate Xu and the Chinese to subsidiary roles as the Jesuits' translators, followers, and converts. Imagined Civilizations tells the story from the Chinese point of view. Using Chinese primary sources, Roger Hart focuses in particular on Xu, who was in a position of considerable power over Ricci. The result is a perspective startlingly different from that found in previous studies. Hart analyzes Chinese mathematical treatises of the period, revealing that Xu and his collaborators could not have believed their declaration of the superiority of Western mathematics. Imagined Civilizations explains how Xu’s West served as a crucial resource. While the Jesuits claimed Xu as a convert, he presented the Jesuits as men from afar who had traveled from the West to China to serve the emperor.
Detail Book of Imagined Civilizations PDF
- Author : Roger Hart
- Release : 15 August 2013
- Publisher : JHU Press
- ISBN : 9781421407128
- Genre : Mathematics
- Total Page : 385 pages
- Language : English
- PDF File Size : 9,9 Mb
If you're still pondering over how to secure a PDF or EPUB version of the book Imagined Civilizations by Roger Hart, don't worry! All you have to do is click the 'Get Book' buttons below to kick off your Download or Read Online journey. Just a friendly reminder: we don't upload or host the files ourselves.