Abstract

By analyzing the debate on the contactus angulus between Peletarius and Clavius recorded in the commentary of Euclidis Elementorum Libri ⅩⅤ by Clavius in 1574, and its counterpart in Jihe Yuanben translated by Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi, this paper reveals that the latter debate is the reconstruction of the former one. It revealed that Peletarius and Clavius followed the tradition of Greek mathematics, putting the concept of angle as the core of the debate, instead of whether contactus angulus can be divided infinitely; Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi, influenced by the ignorance of general definition of angle in Chinese traditional mathematics and the meaning of one-foot-long stick expounded by the School of logicians in Pre-Qin Period, minimized the discussion on the concept of angle, while stressing the demonstration of the infinite divisibility of contactus angulus. The different emphasis reflects that the translation of Jihe Yuanben conforms to the tradition of Chinese Mathematics as well as Philosophy.

Key Words

Jihe Yuanben; Contactus angulus; Reconstruction

Citation: Wang, H., Ji, Z 'The Reconstruction of the Debate on “Contactus Angulus” Between Peletarius and Clavius in Jihe Yuanben' [J]. Journal of Dialectics of Nature, 2017, 39(2): 10-16.

Download: The Reconstruction of the Debate on “Contactus Angulus” Between Peletarius and Clavius in Jihe Yuanben