Save the date(s) for a workshop on Thomas Harriot’s treatise De infinitis, an early seventeenth-century work on philosophical and mathematical concepts of the infinite. Harriot (1560-1621) was an English polymath and brilliant mathematician, whose work languished in his 8000+ pages of manuscript notes until the 20th century. His treatise on the infinite has been the subject of controversy since it was first discovered. There has (surprisingly) never been an edition of the text; one goal of the workshop will be to prepare an edition, with translation and commentary. This workshop is part of an NEH/AHRC project to update the Thomas Harriot papers project.
The workshop will take place on September 12-16, with several sessions of editing and discussion of the De infinitis and related mathematical and philosophical papers. Don’t worry if you don’t know anything about Harriot, or this particular treatise! The workshop will introduce participants to the material, and then will be open to all to contribute insights into the text from their own special expertise.
We will be joined for the duration of the workshop by Stephen Clucas (Birkbeck College. London), a renowned scholar of Harriot and Renaissance English scientific and philosophical culture more broadly. Several European scholars will be joining the workshop remotely as well. Stephen will also be giving a paper on his own research that week, which will be part of the Forum’s roster of events.
The workshop is free, but we ask that you register using this form:
If you are at all interested, or curious, about this project, please contact Robert Goulding. This page will be updated as more details become available!
Originally published at historyofphilosophy.nd.edu.