[HM] Elementary geometry
Jeremy Gray (j.j.gray@open.ac.uk)
Tue, 15 Sep 1998 15:01:44 +-100
Dear Colleagues
Are there any good sources for critiques of Euclidean geometry in the 19th
Century other than those on the parallel postulate? I have in mind discussions
of what counts as a plane, missing axioms (such as Pasch's), deliberate errors
(such as the famous purported proof that all triangles are isosceles) and I
suspect there were a number of other enquiries, all cumulatively undermining
confidence that Euclid's Elements were indeed the epitome of reasoning. I'm in
a position to recognise the tips of some icebergs, but I doubt if I'm looking
at every ocean.
Best wishes
Jeremy Gray