p. 146.
“
[L]ogarithms are one of the most disorderly battlegrounds in mathematical history. ... Disputes like this and the other over the calculus have made more than one man of science envy his successors of ten thousand years hence, to whom Newton and Leibniz, Napier and Bürgi, and scores of lesser contestants for individual fame will be semimythical figures as indistinct as Pythagoras.
— Eric Temple Bell
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "[L]ogarithms are one of the most disorderly battlegrounds in mathematical history. ... Disputes like this and the other over the calculus have made more than one man of science envy his successors of ten thousand years hence, to whom Newton and Leibniz, Napier and Bürgi, and scores of lesser contestants for individual fame will be semimythical figures as indistinct as Pythagoras." in the context of "p. 146." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Eric Temple Bell" (Quotes, The Development of Mathematics (1940))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Eric Temple Bell
Eric Temple Bell (7 February 1883 – 21 December 1960) was a mathematician and science fiction author, born in Scotland who lived in the United States for most of his life. He published non-fiction using his given name and fiction as John Taine.
About Eric Temple Bell
Eric Temple Bell (7 February 1883 – 21 December 1960) was a mathematician and science fiction author, born in Scotland who lived in the United States for most of his life. He published non-fiction using his given name and fiction as John Taine.
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