Saturday, 26 December 2009

soft question - Famous mathematical quotes

Like many people, I am fascinated by the quote from Weyl (already listed
here), that




In these days the angel of topology and the devil of abstract algebra
fight for the soul of each individual mathematical domain.




But I can see why people are puzzled by the quote, so I'd like to add some
more information (too much to put in a comment) as another answer.



First, what is the context? The quote occurs in Weyl's paper Invariants
in Duke Math. J. 5 (1939), pp. 489--502, the first page of which can be seen
here. This page includes most of what Weyl has to say on algebra v.
geometry, though the quote itself does not occur until p.500. Then on p.501
Weyl explains his discomfort with algebra as follows




In my youth I was almost exclusively active in the field of analysis;
the differential equations and expansions of mathematical physics were
the mathematical things with which I was on the most intimate footing.
I have never succeeded in completely assimilating the abstract
algebraic way of reasoning, and constantly feel the necessity of translating
each step into a more concrete analytic form.




Second, why the image of angel and devil? According to V.I Arnold,
writing here, Weyl had a particular image in mind, namely, the
Uccello painting "Miracle of the Profaned Host, Episode 6", which can be
viewed here.



Arnold describes this painting as "representing an event that happened in
Paris in 1290." "Legend" is probably a better word than "event," but in
any case it is a very strange origin for a famous mathematical quote.

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