the book of Marquis de l'Hôpital had appeared, and almost all mathematicians began to turn to the new geometry of the infinite [that is, the new infinitesimal calculus], until then little known. The surprising universality of the methods, the elegant brevity of the proofs, the neatness and speed of the most difficult solutions, a singular and unexpected novelty, all attracted the mind and there was in the mathematical world a well marked revolution [une révolution bien marquée." - Meaning and context.">
(1792) as quoted by I. Bernard Cohen, Revolution in Science (1985)
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At the time the book of Marquis de l'Hôpital had appeared, and almost all mathematicians began to turn to the new geometry of the infinite [that is, the new infinitesimal calculus], until then little known. The surprising universality of the methods, the elegant brevity of the proofs, the neatness and speed of the most difficult solutions, a singular and unexpected novelty, all attracted the mind and there was in the mathematical world a well marked revolution [une révolution bien marquée.

— Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "At the time the book of Marquis de l'Hôpital had appeared, and almost all mathematicians began to turn to the new geometry of the infinite [that is, the new infinitesimal calculus], until then little known. The surprising universality of the methods, the elegant brevity of the proofs, the neatness and speed of the most difficult solutions, a singular and unexpected novelty, all attracted the mind and there was in the mathematical world a well marked revolution [une révolution bien marquée." in the context of "(1792) as quoted by I. Bernard Cohen, Revolution in Science (1985)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle

About Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle

Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle (February 11, 1657 – January 9, 1757) also called Bernard Le Bouyer de Fontenelle, was a French author noted especially for his accessible treatment of scientific topics during the unfolding of the Age of Enlightenment.