Esther Ramharter

Nikolaus von Kues veranschaulicht sein metaphysisch-theologisches Prinzip der coincidentia oppositorum anhand geometrischer Konstruktionen. Eine dieser Darstellungen bringt den Beryll ins Spiel. Ich versuche, seine Rolle in Cusanus’ Ausführungen zu klären und Parallelen aufzuzeigen zwischen dem Einsatz dieses Instruments und Strategien der Begriffsbildung in der heutigen Mathematik. Nicolaus of Cusa illustrates his metaphysico-theological principle of ›coincidentia oppositorum‹ by means of geometrical constructions. One of these representations uses a beryl as an auxiliary instrument. In this paper, I attempt to explore the role played by the beryl in Cusanus’ considerations, and to demonstrate some similarities between his use of this instrument and certain strategies in the formation of concepts in modern mathematics. mehr

In this paper the history of (mathematical) formulas and their role in philosophy is discussed. The historical analysis of the first and second part considers both the phaenomena and the terminology. The first part tries to define orrather classify formulas, the second to identify first occurrences of formulas in different contexts. The third part studies some examples of the use of ›formulas‹ and formulas – in the work of Descartes, Kant, Frege, Adorno, and Lacan. mehr

This paper pursues two objects which are partially interfering: (1) to study the relation between the different defi nitions of both παρáδειγμα and 'παγυγ given by Aristotle in Topics, Rhetorics, and Analytica Priora, (2) to clarify the relation between the definition of 'παγυγ and the example Aristotle offers in Analytica Priora. Both the corresponding defi nitions in relation to each other and the defi nition in relation to the example show some incompatibilities. Theproblems concerning the defi nitions may be solved by understanding them as adapted to the context; whereas I suppose the deviation of the example from thedefi nition to be simply a mistake. (The paper does not elaborate the epistemic, but the formal status of παρáδειγμα and 'παγυγ.) mehr