The Origin of Quantification ()
Abstract
Neither the Greek nor the Alexandrian nor the early Arabic philosopher/scientists ever developed a mathematical representation of qualities, a prerequisite for a mathematical physics. By the early seventeenth century the quantification of qualities was a common practice. This article traces the way this practice developed. It originated with a medievally theological problem and was developed by philosophical logicians who did not have mathematical physics as a goal. The verbal algebra they developed was given a mathematical formulation in the late fifteenth century. This was subsequently assimilated into a neo-Platonic revival that stressed mathematical forms. The quantification of qualities developed in physics supplied the paradigm for quantification in other fields.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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