Mathematics shows much more durability in its attention to concepts and theories than do other sciences; for example, Galen may not be of much use to modern medicine, but one can still read and use Euclid. One might expect that this situation would make mathematicians sympathetic to history, but quite the opposite is the case. Their normal attention to history is concerned with heritage: that is, how did we get here? Old results are modernized in order to show their current place but the historical context is ignored and thereby often distorted. By contrast, the historian is concerned with what happened in the past, whatever be the modern situation. Each approach is perfectly legitimate, but they are often confused. The difference between them is discussed, with examples exhibited; these will include Euclid, set theory, limits, and applied mathematics in general.
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