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10. Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques
283

Gregg De Young. « The Ashkāl al-Ta’sīs of al-Samarqandī: A Translation and Study ». Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften, 14 (2001), pp. 57-117.

Sonja Brentjes

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1The paper consists of a discussion of Samarqandī’s treatise on the founding theorems (of either geometry at large or the Elements in particular or some other part of mathematical theory or practice) and its translation into English. Since the text was very influential since its compilation in the 13th century, de Young’s decision to publish it is well founded. It is, however, difficult to understand why he did not include the Arabic text. The historical, mathematical, and logical analysis of Samarqandī’s work and its place within the history of mathematics in Islamic societies after the 13th century remains unsatisfactory. The main comparative focus is modern analysis of the Greek text on the one hand and Arabic textual transmission on the other. This leaves de Young often without conclusive evidence with regard to the meaning of Samarqandī’s choices and the views of his later readers and commentators. It is indispensable to situate Samarqandī’s text within the broader field of mathematical, philosophical, logical, but also theological debates of authors from Islamic societies, if we wish to find answers to the questions raised by de Young about the meaning of the text and discover those pertinent for its huge success but not asked within the Western transmission and discussion of Euclid’s Elements.

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Sonja Brentjes, “Gregg De Young. « The Ashkāl al-Ta’sīs of al-Samarqandī: A Translation and Study ». Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften, 14 (2001), pp. 57-117.”Abstracta Iranica [Online], Volume 27 | 2006, document 283, Online since 02 January 2007, connection on 20 March 2025. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/abstractairanica/6296; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/abstractairanica.6296

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Sonja Brentjes

Aga Khan University - Londres

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