Math 181.S96, Lecture 1W, 03 April 1996

Introduction to the course

The course will consist of about 16 lectures by Ralph and about 3 periods devoted to the presentation of projects by groups of students.

What is the text?

The relevant chapters of Joseph's The Crest of the Peacock (out-of-print) will be freely distributed in the class. We are greatly indebted to Prof. Joseph for his permission for this distribution. Other materials will be scanned, OCR'd, and posted on the class website, under "Lectures."

What is sacred geometry?

The meaning of the word sacred will gradually emerge during the course. For now, think "temple." But our subject could best be considered as the history of geometry in three parts:

1. Before Euclid
2. During Euclid, and
3. After Euclid

Not all of (3) can be considered sacred, but we will follow a small number of "threads" as they wind around the histomap of geometry.

What is a "thread"?

By "thread" we mean what Lovejoy calls the biography of an "atomic idea."

What is a "histomap"?

This is a space-time diagram of a piece of the universe of ideas, as in "the history of consciousness." Here is an example, taken from Neugebauer.