The Importance of the History of Mathematics in Relation to the Study of Mathematical Technique

Extract

Glaisher, I believe, once said that no subject loses more than mathematics by any attempt to dissociate it from its history. It is still customary, however, in schools and most universities to regard the history of mathematics as an “extra” outside the ordinary student’s syllabus—indeed it is usually treated as an exotic luxury. The point I would like to emphasise is that while the primary aim of the tyro should be the mastery of technique, yet in most cases this mastery is liable to become a mere mechanical acquirement unless it is accompanied by some appreciation of the cultural significance of the “Queen of the Sciences”.