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On The Advantages To Be Derived From The Study Of The Mathematics.
ON THE ADVANTAGES TO BE DERIVED FROM THE STUDY OF THE MATHEMATICS .
to THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE , SELECT PAPERS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS , " READ BEFORE A LITERARY SOCIETY IN LONDON . NoAV .
BY MR . JOSEPH DEAN * .
IN all ages and countries where Learning hath prevailed , the Mathematical Sciences have been justly looked upon as the most considerable branch of it ; but , notwithstanding their excellence and reputation , " the }? 'have neither been taught nor studied so universally as some of the rest ; which has probably arisen in a great degree from one or all of the following causes : I . The aversion off be majority
of mankind to serious attention ancl close investigation ; 2 . not comprehending sufficiently their great utility in other parts of learning ; 3 . thi want of public encouragement , and . of able masters . For these and perhaps other reasons , " this study hath been regarded only by a few persons , whose happy genius or curiosity have prompted them to it ; or by some others who have been forced upon it b y its evident
and immediate subserviency to some object of their pursuit . In the present age of experiment and deduction , the custom of trying events by the standard of truth is becoming more genera ] , and of course the Mathematical Sciences are much more studied now than formerly ; an endeavour , therefore , to point out the advantages derived from them to mankind , will , 1 conceive , afford
considerable pleasure . I shall then briefly attempt to shew their obvious tendency , 1 st , To beget a habit of attention ; zdly , To furnish a method of close , and demonstrative reasoning ; by which , in the 3 d place , the mind may be delivered from prejudice , credulity , and superitilion . ¦ And , First , that the Mathematics beget a habit of attention is certain ; and this is accomplished by employing the mind on a variety of truths , which are delightful , and at length evident , although not at first obvious .
Truth is so amiable , that the discovery of it must always be attended with the most exquisite pleasure ; no other method of enquiring after it can in any degree be compared with Mathematical reasoning , the conclusions drawn from hence being infallibly true In most of the other , sciences , consisting only of probable inferences , the mind hath no where to fix itself , and thus wanting sufficient
* The Editor believes this Gentleman to be a Teacher of the Mathematics in Kinff ' s-Head Court , Go ugh Square * and Mathematical Master at the Grey Coat Hospital .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Advantages To Be Derived From The Study Of The Mathematics.
ON THE ADVANTAGES TO BE DERIVED FROM THE STUDY OF THE MATHEMATICS .
to THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE , SELECT PAPERS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS , " READ BEFORE A LITERARY SOCIETY IN LONDON . NoAV .
BY MR . JOSEPH DEAN * .
IN all ages and countries where Learning hath prevailed , the Mathematical Sciences have been justly looked upon as the most considerable branch of it ; but , notwithstanding their excellence and reputation , " the }? 'have neither been taught nor studied so universally as some of the rest ; which has probably arisen in a great degree from one or all of the following causes : I . The aversion off be majority
of mankind to serious attention ancl close investigation ; 2 . not comprehending sufficiently their great utility in other parts of learning ; 3 . thi want of public encouragement , and . of able masters . For these and perhaps other reasons , " this study hath been regarded only by a few persons , whose happy genius or curiosity have prompted them to it ; or by some others who have been forced upon it b y its evident
and immediate subserviency to some object of their pursuit . In the present age of experiment and deduction , the custom of trying events by the standard of truth is becoming more genera ] , and of course the Mathematical Sciences are much more studied now than formerly ; an endeavour , therefore , to point out the advantages derived from them to mankind , will , 1 conceive , afford
considerable pleasure . I shall then briefly attempt to shew their obvious tendency , 1 st , To beget a habit of attention ; zdly , To furnish a method of close , and demonstrative reasoning ; by which , in the 3 d place , the mind may be delivered from prejudice , credulity , and superitilion . ¦ And , First , that the Mathematics beget a habit of attention is certain ; and this is accomplished by employing the mind on a variety of truths , which are delightful , and at length evident , although not at first obvious .
Truth is so amiable , that the discovery of it must always be attended with the most exquisite pleasure ; no other method of enquiring after it can in any degree be compared with Mathematical reasoning , the conclusions drawn from hence being infallibly true In most of the other , sciences , consisting only of probable inferences , the mind hath no where to fix itself , and thus wanting sufficient
* The Editor believes this Gentleman to be a Teacher of the Mathematics in Kinff ' s-Head Court , Go ugh Square * and Mathematical Master at the Grey Coat Hospital .