Did Hermann and Robert Graßmann contribute to the emergence of formal axiomatics?
pp. 263-274
in: Michael H. G. Hoffmann, Johannes Lenhard, Falk Seeger (eds), Activity and sign, Berlin, Springer, 2005Abstract
This paper provides a critical assessment of the most influential ideas advanced by contemporary historians of mathematics in connection with the contribution of Hermann Graßmann to the of emergence of a new type of axiomatic approach during the 19th century. My analysis uncovers an wide variety of conflicting statements concerning the objectives and relevance of Graßmann's contributions. Based on this analysis, I argue that a renewed more careful examination of this contribution is needed.
