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My all-time best experience reading the classics was when I had to write a term paper for History of Mathematics, and I chose to do the history of probability theory. I based my paper of a 19th-century English classic, and read DeMoivre (1731) and Laplace (1812) in the original, as well as Bernoulli (ca. 1710) in translation (my Latin is not that good ;-).

It's a great experience to see it argued forcefully that the law of large numbers is evidence of the existence of God.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon May 1st, 2006 at 06:21:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Amazing.. I am sometimes scared that Anthropology can be so right...It is frightening.. I just imagine one day all the GOP in the US having thousands of antrhopologists working for them....and I get scared.....

oh.. wait.. I am already scared with the Iran stuff...

Jesus...and large numbers...important to remember.. Jesus, God and Trinity one in all for the large number (all for one and one for all? well.. all for three and three for all?)....

And some people say that science is objective and does not depend on social norms and promotes the "truthiness" and bla bla bla...:)

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Mon May 1st, 2006 at 10:55:05 AM EST
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Abraam De Moivre: The Doctrine of Chances (1731)
What we have said is also applicable to a Ratio of Inequality, as appears from our 9th corollary. And thus in all cases it will be found that altho' Chance produces Irregularities, still the Odds will be infinitely great, that in the process of Time, those Irregularities will bear no proportion to the recurrency of that Order which naturally results from ORIGINAL DESIGN.
...Again, as it is thus demonstrable that there are, in the constitution of things, certain laws according to which Events happen, it is no less evident from Observation, that those Laws serve to wise, useful and beneficent purposes: to preserve the stedfast Order of the Universe, to propagate the several Species of beings, and furnish to the sentient Kind such degrees of happiness as are suited to their State.
But such Laws, as well as the original Design and Purpose of their Establishment, must all be from without; the Inertia of matter, and the nature of all created Beings, rendering it impossible that any thing should modify its own essence, or give to itself, or to anything else, an original determination or propensity. And hence, if we blind not ourselves with metaphysical dust, we shall be led, by a short and obvious way, to the acknowledgement of the great MAKER and GOVERNOR of all; Himself all-wise, all-powerful and good.
As you can see, my paraphrase does not do it justice. Make sure this excerpt doesn't fall in the hands of any Intelligent Design nuts.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon May 1st, 2006 at 06:16:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I already pass it.... je jej ejjejeje

You are a puto crack.

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Tue May 2nd, 2006 at 09:57:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Sorry, 1718, 1738 and 1756 are the dates of the editions. That paragraph is probably from the 1738 edition.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 2nd, 2006 at 10:20:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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