Philosophical Aspects of Symbolic Reasoning in Early Modern Mathematics

The novel use of symbolism in early modern mathematics poses both
philosophical and historical questions. How can we trace its
development and transmission through manuscript sources? Is it
intrinsically related to the emergence of symbolic algebra? How does
symbolism relate to the use of diagrams? What are the consequences of
symbolic reasoning on our understanding of nature? Can a symbolic
language enable new forms of reasoning? Does a universal symbolic
language exists which enables us to express all knowledge?

This book brings together a collection of papers that address all
these and related questions ? which were initially posed on a
conference held in Ghent (Belgium) in August 2009. Scholars working on
philosophy of science, history of philosophy and history of
mathematics provide an insight into the role and function of symbolic
representations in the development of early modern mathematics. The
papers cover the period from early abbaco arithmetic and algebra (14th
century) up to Leibniz (early 18th century).