Mysticism, number, and geometry : an introduction to Pythagoreanism -- The Elgin Marbles and Plato's geometric chemistry -- An introduction to infinity -- The flat Earth and the spherical sky -- Theology, logic, and questions about angels -- Time, infinity, and incommensurability -- Medieval theories of vision and the discovery of space -- The shape of space and the fourth dimension -- What is a number? -- The dual nature of points and lines -- Modern mathematical infinity -- Elegance and truth.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1977.