The Formation of the Mathematical Community
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{'SignBlockName': 'Alicia Armstrong', 'PO_EMAI': 'aarmstro@nsf.gov', 'PO_PHON': '7032924743'}
Scientists do not operate in a vacuum.  Even those most "pure" of               scientists, mathematicians, who ostensibly need only pencil, pad, and           eraser to carry our their research, have actually been found to need            to communicate with each other about their research.  These social              networks of communication help to explain why certain questions or              lines of research are "popular"--even in mathematics--while others              are ignored.  Sociologists along with historians and philosophers of            science have long been interested in these so-called "invisible                 colleges."  In the rise of modern science, we can turn to the                   correspondence of certain scientists who served as the conduit for              these exchanges of views.  The French priest, Pierre Mersenne, served           in this role in the first half of the 17th century.  The secretary of           the Royal Society, Henry Oldenburg, played a similar role in the                latter half of the century.  As the scientific community grew and               became more specialized, no one person could hold such a central                role.  For mathematics in the 18th century, Brook Taylor became for             those interested in what was going on, the major conduit for the                mathematical "invisible college."                                               Known by students of the calculus as the inventor of the series that            bears his name, Taylor played a crucial role in the development of              mathematics in the early 18th century.  By virtue of his                        participation in both the Newton-Leibniz calculus priority                      controversy and in the collaborative effort to extend, apply, and               promote the new infinitesimal analysis, Taylor attracted illustrious            friends and enemies in the European mathematical community.  Dr.                Feigenbaum, under this grant, is continuing to prepare an annotated             edition of Taylor's collected correspondence, accompanied by an                 historical commentary.  This edition should be of interest for                  several reasons.  Taylor's letters shed light on the concerns and               activities of British as well as Continental mathematicians, on their           professional and personal connections, and on their forms of                    communication and collaboration.  Moreover, they help to illuminate             the Newton-Leibniz controversy by supplying us with details missing             in the available accounts and by allowing us to view the dispute from           the perspective of those who, if not centrally involved, were                   nevertheless deeply affected.  They also dovetail with, and therefore           nicely complement, the already existing editions of mathematical and            scientific correspondence of the early 18th century.  Ultimately,               this study will contribute to our understanding of the nature and               role of scientific communities and communications in the development            of science.  The project thus is of great importance for the history,           philosophy and sociology of science.
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{'Code': '1353', 'Text': 'Hist & Philosophy of SET'}
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