Optique Et Mathematiques: Recherches Sur L'Historie De LA Pensee Scientifique En Arabe (Collected Studies) (French Edition)

The overall theme of this volume is the appropriation and integration of ancient sciences, whether Greek or Indian, into the scientific thought of the classical Islamic world, and the impact this had on the development of Arabic scientific thought itself. The first articles are concerned with the history of optics, in particular theories of lenses and anaclastics, and use newly-discovered texts to demonstrate the early achievements of the Arabs in these fields. Their use of mathematics in the development of experimental optics is also emphasized. In the following articles Professor Rashed turns to the history of mathematics itself - with studies on the Arabic neo-Archimedean tradition, and on research into number theory and Diophantine analysis - and to problems in the philosophy of mathematics as dealt with by Maimonides, Ibn al-Haytham and Avicenna.