The art and the science of British algebra: A study in the perception of mathematical truth

AbstractThis paper investigates the origins of the concept of mathematical truth by focusing on the development of algebra in England in the early 19th century. In particular, it investigates the reasons why the English, despite their attention to the elements of abstract algebra, never produced a system comparable to modern algebra. Special consideration is given to the works of George Peacock, Augustus DeMorgan, William Whewell, and John Herschel. It is argued that what separated the early development of English algebra from modern algebra is a fundamental difference between 19th- and 20th-century views of truth