{"title":"Overspecification, indifference to visual accuracy, and other characteristics in the transmission of the diagrams of Copernicus’ De Revolutionibus","authors":"Christián C. Carman , Diego Pelegrin","doi":"10.1016/j.hm.2025.03.001","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates the transmission of diagrams in Copernicus' <em>De Revolutionibus</em>, focusing on the phenomena of overspecification and indifference to visual accuracy. Unlike previous studies that assumed the original diagrams, this research uses source diagrams to analyze how these features emerge and persist through various editions and manuscripts. The study demonstrates the gradual and independent development of overspecification and visual inaccuracies during transmission, highlighting their stability over multiple copies. Additionally, it explores errors in labeling and the introduction of spurious elements in diagrams, reinforcing the belief that these characteristics arise during the transmission process. The findings challenge the notion that these diagrammatic features were common practices confined to ancient and medieval times, showing that they persist into the 21st century.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51061,"journal":{"name":"Historia Mathematica","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 34-58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Historia Mathematica","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0315086025000060","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This paper investigates the transmission of diagrams in Copernicus' De Revolutionibus, focusing on the phenomena of overspecification and indifference to visual accuracy. Unlike previous studies that assumed the original diagrams, this research uses source diagrams to analyze how these features emerge and persist through various editions and manuscripts. The study demonstrates the gradual and independent development of overspecification and visual inaccuracies during transmission, highlighting their stability over multiple copies. Additionally, it explores errors in labeling and the introduction of spurious elements in diagrams, reinforcing the belief that these characteristics arise during the transmission process. The findings challenge the notion that these diagrammatic features were common practices confined to ancient and medieval times, showing that they persist into the 21st century.
期刊介绍:
Historia Mathematica publishes historical scholarship on mathematics and its development in all cultures and time periods. In particular, the journal encourages informed studies on mathematicians and their work in historical context, on the histories of institutions and organizations supportive of the mathematical endeavor, on historiographical topics in the history of mathematics, and on the interrelations between mathematical ideas, science, and the broader culture.