In the following essay, Lindberg presents an analysis of Euclid's Optica by Alkindi (d. 873), an early Islamic philosopher. Lindberg states that Alkindi "placed himself firmly on the side of Euclid" in many respects, but that the philosopher disagreed with Euclid on the nature of the "visual cone, " one aspect of the mathematician 's theory of vision.
In the following essay, Barbera examines the evidence and scholarly opinion surrounding the issue of the authorship of Sectio Canonis, concluding that "it would be bold to assert definitely" that Euclid is or is not the author.
In the following essay, Bowen discusses the content of, and issues surrounding, Sectio Canonis. Bowen addresses the question of authorship and responds to critical arguments on this topic, maintaining that the work is Euclid's. Bowen also contends that the belief that the work is Pythagorean may be as "ill-founded" as the authorship debate.
In the following excerpt, Theisen discusses the impact of Euclid's Optica on Western scholars in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and maintains that by the thirteenth century, a "firm tradition " of the critical analysis of Euclid's text was established.
In the following essay, Neugebauer examines the influence of Babylonian mathematical methods on the development of Greek mathematics. Neugebauer states that while a large part of the information in Euclid's Elements had been known for more than a millennium, "mathematics in a modern sense" began with Euclid's addition of general mathematical proof.
In the following excerpt, first published in 1927 and reprinted in 1975, Sarton offers a brief overview of the scientific developments taking place during the first half of the third century B.C., the time in which Euclid flourished.
