For a long time, World War I has been
shortchanged by the historiography of science. Until recently, World
War II was usually considered as the defining event for the formation
of the modern relationship between science and society. In this
context, the effects of the First World War, by contrast, were often
limited to the massive deaths of promising young scientists.
By focusing on a few key places (Paris, Cambridge, Rome, Chicago,
and others), the present book gathers studies representing a broad
spectrum of positions adopted by mathematicians about the conflict,
from militant pacifism to military, scientific, or ideological
mobilization. The use of mathematics for war is thoroughly
examined.
This book suggests a new vision of the long-term influence of
World War I on mathematics and mathematicians. Continuities and
discontinuities in the structure and organization of the mathematical
sciences are discussed, as well as their images in various
milieux. Topics of research and the values with which they were
defended are scrutinized. This book, in particular, proposes a more
in-depth evaluation of the issue of modernity and modernization in
mathematics.
The issue of scientific international relations after the war is
revisited by a close look at the situation in a few Allied countries
(France, Britain, Italy, and the USA). The historiography has
emphasized the place of Germany as the leading mathematical country
before WWI and the absurdity of its postwar ostracism by the
Allies. The studies presented here help explain how dramatically
different prewar situations, prolonged interaction during the war, and
new international postwar organizations led to attempts at redrafting
models for mathematical developments.
Readership
Graduate students and research mathematicians interested in the
history of mathematics.