Boethian Number Theory: A Translation of the De Institutione Arithmetica (Studies in Classical Antiquity) by Michael Masi

by Boethius

Rare Book

Genres: Philosophy

Paperback

First published July 1, 1996

About the author

Roman mathematician Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, imprisoned on charges of treason, wrote The Consolation of Philosophy , his greatest work, an investigation of destiny and free will, while awaiting his execution.

His ancient and prominent noble family of Anicia included many consuls and Petronius Maximus and Olybrius, emperors. After Odoacer deposed the last western emperor, Flavius Manlius Boethius, his father, served as consul in 487.

Boethius entered public life at a young age and served already as a senator before the age of 25 years in 504. Boethius served as consul in 510 in the kingdom of the Ostrogoths.

In 522, Boethius saw his two sons serve as consuls. Theodoric the Great, king, suspected Boethius of conspiring with the eastern empire eventually. Jailed, Boethius composed his treatise on fortune, death, and other issues. He most popularly influenced the Middle Ages.

People linked Boethius and Rithmomachia, a board game.

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one expects a book dealing with arithmetic in the more modern sense, one will either be disappointed, or possibly relieved, that that isn't the focus of Boethius' work. What this really is is a study of numeric relations found within certain magnitudes through particular algorithms. At the most basic level, it's a study of the relationship between primes (or more accurately "one" as a base unit) and evens and odds. A good part of the work translates extracts of Nicomachus' work on numbers, but either Boethius added to it using his own studies, or he had access to other works no longer extant. It hints at some of the mystical speculations of the Pythagoreans, but on the whole, it doesn't deal with that sort of thing directly.

It is definitely an interesting work. I plan to read Archimedes, Nicomachus, Apollonius and Euclid at some point, so this probably serves as a good introduction.

[Lauren Crider]

I’m an English person, but this shows that numbers can actually be cool.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an excellent translation of the De Institutione Arithmetica.