Jens Høyrup

Jens Egede Høyrup (born 1943) is a Danish historian of mathematics, specializing in pre-modern and early modern mathematics, particularly ancient Mesopotamian mathematics. He is known for his interpretation of what has often been referred to as Old Babylonian "algebra" as consisting of concrete, geometric manipulations. Quotes Strictly speaking, Old Babylonian (and, in general, Mesopotamian) mathematics might therefore better be characterized as computation; instead of ‘mathematicians’ we should speak of ‘calculators’ and ‘teachers of calculation’; supra-utilitarian activities represent ‘pure calculation’ rather than ‘pure mathematics.’ The ultimate interest in finding a number is of course also a characteristic of most present-day applications of mathematics; but it remains a feature which distinguishes both the Mesopotamian and the contemporary calculating orientation from the investigation of the properties of mathematical objects which (since the Greeks) constitutes our ideal type of mathematics proper. (Hoyrup 2018) Hoyrup, Jens. The Cambridge History of Science, Vol. I, Chapter 3, Mesopotamian Mathematics, 2018, Cambridge University Press. The Sulbasutras and the 'Pythagoras Theorem' External links Category:1943 births Category:20th-century Danish historians Category:21st-century Danish historians Category:Danish historians of mathematics Category:Living people