Starred Review。 What Aczel did for mathematician Fermat(Fermat’s Last Theorem)he now does for Descartes in this splendidstudy about the French philosopher and mathematician (1596–1650)most famous for his paradigm-smashing declaration, “I think;therefore, I am。” Part historical sketch, part biography and partdetective story, Aczel’s chronicle of Descartes’s hidden workhinges on his lost secret notebook。 Of 16 pages of codedmanu*, one and a half were copied in 1676 by fellowphilosopher and mathematician Leibniz。 For him, Descartes’sin*ion of the cryptic letters“GFRC” immediately revealed hisassociation with the occult fraternity of the Rosicrucians—Leibnizwas also a member。 The notebook also revealed to Leibniz adiscovery made by Descartes that would have transformedmathematics。 As Aczel so deftly demonstrates, Descartes'smathematical theories were paths to an understanding the order andmystery of the cosmos, and he kept the notebook hidden because itcont
The authors trace the formation and breakup of the planets,asteroids, and comets where meteorites originated, their longjourney through space, their fall to Earth, their recovery, andwhat scientists are learning from them. The book contains a greatdeal of material about the “84001 Martian meteorite,” which hasraised provocative new questions about life on the red planet.Looking forward, the authors chart the exciting new era ofplanetary, asteroidal, and cometary exploration planned for thiscentury.