This book presents a historical account of Felix Klein's "Comparative
Reflections on Recent Research in Geometry" (1872), better known as
his "Erlangen Program.” Originally conceived and written when Klein
was collaborating with Sophus Lie, this bold essay initially made
little impression on contemporary researchers. Decades later, however,
it eventually became a famous classic. Eminent mathematicians hailed
Klein’s main message – the role of invariants of transformation
groups in geometry – as presaging major developments in mathematics
and physics. The first part of this book focuses on the prehistory
surrounding Klein’s “Erlangen Program,” stressing the
motivations that led Klein to write it. The core of the book (Part II)
then presents a new translation of Klein's original text, followed by
detailed textual analysis aimed at guiding the reader through its
rather terse and opaque prose. Part III deals with its complicated
reception history, treated in four periods spanning the years from
1872 to 1930. This culminated during Klein’s lifetime with his
efforts to promote the "Erlangen Program” as a framework for
interpreting Einstein’s theory of relativity. After his death in
1925, the viability of this framework became a contentious issue among
leading differential geometers. Part IV looks back on the
transformations in mathematics that led to a modernized interpretation
of Klein’s message. The book also explores in depth how the growing
fame of the “Erlangen Program” undermined Klein’s friendship
with Sophus Lie, leading to a dramatic public break between them in
1893. Beyond the "Erlangen Program” itself, this book deals with
many of Felix Klein’s other works. As an introduction to a largely
forgotten world of ideas, this study will appeal not only to experts
but also to graduate students and all those with a serious interest in
the history of modern mathematics.
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The Erlangen Program
Product details
ISBN
9783031854743
Published
2025
Publisher
Springer Nature
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Author