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Article 4704 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: ramsay@unixg.ubc.ca (Keith Ramsay)
Subject: Euler and Diderot (was Re: A rock implements every FSA)
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References: <1992Mar18.045939.3084@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> <1992Mar18.095140.9984@husc3.harvard.edu> <92Mar18.182726est.14357@neat.cs.toronto.edu>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1992 01:17:53 GMT
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Just a small historical point here (I haven't been following the FSA
stuff well enough to comment)....

In article <92Mar18.182726est.14357@neat.cs.toronto.edu>
cbo@cs.toronto.edu (Calvin Bruce Ostrum) writes:
>It reminds me of the proof of the existence of God with with Euler is said
>to have bamboozled Diderot. According to de Morgan, the proof went as
>follows, and effectively humiliated Diderot: "Monsieur, (a+b^n)/n = x,
>donc Dieu existe; re'pondez!".

The story is apocryphal. Diderot, for one thing, was too familiar with
mathematics (he wrote a paper or two, on optics I think) to have been
so readily embarrassed, and for another, this is quite out of
character for Euler. Everything points to this story having been
originally a total fabrication, then passed along from author to
author (like de Morgan).

Defending the name of Euler...! :-)
--
                       "It is true enough that the bells' language needs
Keith Ramsay            interpreting for the North American public...."
ramsay@unixg.ubc.ca          -Rev. Godden, quoted in "The Clapper".


