Infinitesimal by Amir Alexander

7.5 out of 10

In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, math became a hot topic.  A major administrative victory for Rome was the mathematically devised calendar reform under Pope Gregory XIII.  The Jesuits--defenders of Roman Catholicism--set up schools all over the world.  But, math was seen as mostly good for engineering or astronomy.  The idea of infinitesimals is crucial to the question of "What makes up continuous space?", "What makes up continuous time?", "What makes up the continuum?".  This leads to potential paradoxes.  How can infinitely many things fill a finite space?  The idea was regularly rejected by the Jesuit counsel and not taught in their (otherwise elite) schools.  Yet, in Protestant England, Isaac Newton developed calculus.  Ultimately Northern Europe hijacked the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment--despite the Italians having a head start.