Well, if you were determined to get a discussion going, I think
you've achieved that. First, I would like to thank all who responded,
particularly, Fernando Gouvea and Gordon Fisher. While many of the
responses were calm, I found that I needed about a day to get over my
anger.
If "second hand knowledge is not (acceptable)" for the general
public, then, perhaps we should scrap the entire educational system
and let every-one spend all their time doing their own research.
Is this practical in ANY field ? Surely, there is much misunderstanding
that has been generated by letting the general public in on the beauty
of the history of our subject. But does the solution consist of locking
up this knowledge and only permitting entrance to the chosen few?
I became interested in history of mathematics as a means of
humanizing a subject that all too many found inhumane. Surely, I have
made some mistakes over the years I have been using it, but I feel my
triumphs have been greater. To continue with Fernando's allegory should
we "not teach the Bible ...not teach Dante..". We may be the prisoner's
in Plato's cave possessing a knowledge that is imperfect, but the need
for perfection is sometimes an enemy of the immediate good. Newton
refused to share his method until it was perfect and look at the results.
I agree with Gordon that we need "to recognize the certain limitations
we humans have".
Jim Kiernan
Brooklyn College