"The true method of foreseeing the future of mathematics is to study its history and its actual state." With these words Henri Poincare began his presentation to the Fourth International Congress of Mathematicians at Rome in 1908. Although Poincare himself never actively pursued the history of mathematics, his remarks have given both historians of mathematics and working mathematicians a valuable methodological guideline, not so much for indulging in improbable prophecies about the future state of mathematics, as for finding in history the origins and moti va tions of contemporary theories,...

This book focuses on some of the major developments in the history of contemporary (19th and 20th century) mathematics as seen in the broader context of the development of science and culture. Avoiding technicalities, it displays the breadth of contrasting images of mathematics favoured by different countries, schools and historical movements, showing how the conception and practice of mathematics changed over time depending on the cultural and national context. Thus it provides an original perspective for embracing the richness and variety inherent in the development of mathematics....