Abstract

NOBRE, Sergio. Leitura crítica da história: reflexões sobre a história da matemática. Ciência educ. [online]. 2004, vol.10, n.03, pp.531-543. ISSN 1516-7313.

Many elements that supply information for the writing of history include directives, which are representative of a specific form of thought - be they of a social, political or philosophical stamp. These elements are elaborated upon in order to present a specific view of history. The objective of the present text is, through some examples, to discuss the fact that there are different forms of analysis of the elements that supply us historical information, with emphasis on the History of Science, specifically the History of Mathematics. The more information we have about any given historical events, the better able we are to make historical connections among them, on a qualitative basis, that supports the acquired information. If this information is scarce, or comes from doubtful sources, the historical conclusions about the subject under consideration will be fragile and susceptible to different and, frequently, conflicting interpretations. The present text intends to present some historical examples in which, due to a lack of information, or to distorted information, the historical interpretation is subject to differing interpretations.

Keywords : Historiography of Mathematics; Analysis of Historical Data; Interpretation of History.

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