Philosophy of Geometry from Riemann to Poincaré

1 / Background.- 1.0.1 Greek Geometry and Philosophy.- 1.0.2 Geometry in Greek Natural Science.- 1.0.3 Modern Science and the Metaphysical Idea of Space.- 1.0.4 Descartes' Method of Coordinates.- 2 / Non-Euclidean Geometries.- 2.1 Parallels.- 2.1.1 Euclid's Fifth Postulate.- 2.1.2 Greek Commentators.- 2.1.3 Wallis and Saccheri.- 2.1.4 Johann Heinrich Lambert.- 2.1.5 The Discovery of Non-Euclidean Geometry.- 2.1.6 Some Results of Bolyai-Lobachevsky Geometry.- 2.1.7 The Philosophical Outlook of the Founders of Non-Euclidean Geometry.- 2.2 Manifolds.- 2.2.1 Introduction.- 2.2.2 Curves and their Curvature.- 2.2.3 Gaussian Curvature of Surfaces.- 2.2.4 Gauss' Theorema Egregium and the Intrinsic Geometry of Surfaces.- 2.2.5 Riemann's Problem of Space and Geometry.- 2.2.6 The Concept of a Manifold.- 2.2.7 The Tangent Space.- 2.2.8 Riemannian Manifolds, Metrics and Curvature.- 2.2.9 Riemann's Speculations about Physical Space.- 2.2.10 Riemann and Herbart. Grassmann.- 2.3 Projective Geometry and Projective Metrics.- 2.3.1 Introduction.- 2.3.2 Projective Geometry: An Intuitive Approach.- 2.3.3 Projective Geometry: A Numerical Interpretation.- 2.3.4 Projective Transformations.- 2.3.5 Cross-ratio.- 2.3.6 Projective Metrics.- 2.3.7 Models.- 2.3.8 Transformation Groups and Klein's Erlangen Programme.- 2.3.9 Projective Coordinates for Intuitive Space.- 2.3.10 Klein's View of Intuition and the Problem of Space-Forms.- 3 / Foundations.- 3.1 Helmholtz's Problem of Space.- 3.1.1 Helmholtz and Riemann.- 3.1.2 The Facts which Lie at the Foundation of Geometry.- 3.1.3 Helmholtz's Philosophy of Geometry.- 3.1.4 Lie Groups.- 3.1.5 Lie's Solution of Helmholtz's Problem.- 3.1.6 Poincaré and Killing on the Foundations of Geometry.- 3.1.7 Hilbert's Group-Theoretical Characterization of the Euclidean Plane.- 3.2 Axiomatics.- 3.2.1 The Beginnings of Modern Geometrical Axiomatics.- 3.2.2 Why are Axiomatic Theories Naturally Abstract?.- 3.2.3 Stewart, Grassmann, Plücker.- 3.2.4 Geometrical

`...a carefull and scholarly discussion of the history and philosophy of geometry from the 1850's, marked by Riemann's generalized conception of space, and ending with Hilbert's axiomatics and Poincaré's conventionalism at the beginning of the century.' The Modern Schoolman `This is a deeply learned, scrupulously careful, very informative book which was well worth writing... In sum, Toretti has written carefully, with much insight, deep and broad learning, and sober judgement on a topic of profound difficulty and interest.' Australian Journal of Philosophy `Torretti has written a very useful book which helps fill a large gap in the literature on the philosophy of mathematics.' The Philosophical Quarterly `It delves into the contributions of many neglected writers and dispells myths concerning the contributions of others, which have too often been perpetuated in the philosophical literature... I suggest that it deserves to become a standard word.' Dialogue