Description of the thesis topic

In the project context the French and German ANR-DFG project ""EUCLIDES --- Euclid in the Modern Age: A History of Cross-Cultural Transmissions, Translations and Transformations of the Elements".
The doctoral fellowship contract should be devoted to the study of logical and epistemological problems related to the foundations of mathematics in the editions of Euclid's Elements in the modern age.
Possible, but not exclusive, research topics are as follows:
- The history of axiomatic thought in the early modern age, and the modern discussion of the various principles that ground mathematics: definitions, axioms, postulates, and more.
- The history of modern logic in relation to the developments in mathematical thought. Attempts to reduce Euclid's Elements into syllogisms. Attempts to formalize non-syllogistic logical inferences coming from the demonstrative practice of mathematicians.
- The history of the theory of demonstration and science in relation to the scientific ideal embodied in Euclid's Elements. The Quaestio de certitudine mathematicarum and its developments. The contaminations between Euclid's demonstrative practice and Scholastic, Renaissance and modern theories of science (Descartes, Hobbes, Leibniz, Kant, etc.).
- The relationship between the history of Euclid's Elements and the history of symbolic mathematics, algebraic geometry, and attempts at "geometric characteristics."
Special attention will be paid to the history of the use of diagrams in the tradition of Euclid's Elements, the transformations of this practice over the centuries, and the epistemological theories concerning the possibility or necessity of making diagrammatic demonstrations related to sensibility or imagination.
Any research project that focuses on these, or similar, themes will be considered by members of the research team and evaluated for funding. Although the topics are many and varied, it is still essential that the history of Euclid's editions of the Elements play an important role in the research project.
The doctoral thesis contract will be carried out under the supervision of Vincenzo De Risi, of the Laboratoire SPHERE, and other specialists in the research themes.

Work Context

The doctoral contract will take place either with École doctorale 623 of Université Paris Cité (in history and philosophy of science), or with École doctorale 280 of Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (in philosophy), depending on the subject of the dissertation. The student will receive a PhD degree from one of these two institutions. The student will be affiliated with the Laboratoire SPHERE in Paris, one of Europe's leading research centers in the history and philosophy of science, and will participate actively in the Institute's seminars.
The working languages of the Laboratoire SPHERE are French and English, and the dissertation must be written in one of these two languages.
The position is solely dedicated to research, with no teaching and minimal administrative duties. Fellows are expected to participate in the cultural and scientific life of the Laboratoire SPHERE, to advance their own research projects and to contribute actively to the Institute's research. The candidate is required to reside in Paris for the three years of the doctoral program, with the exception of research periods abroad.

The PhD student will be enrolled in the ANR-DFG "EUCLIDES" project, run in collaboration between the Laboratoire SPHERE, the Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (IHPST) in Paris and the University of Wuppertal in Germany, aimed at studying the tradition of Euclid's Elements from the 16th to the 19th century.
This is arguably the most important and widely circulated work of classical mathematics, and by studying its transformations throughout its editions, translations and commentaries and its pedagogical and practical uses, the research team involved in the project seeks to establish an overarching and interdisciplinary narrative regarding the modern tradition of the Elements and its unparalleled impact on the history of science, knowledge and culture.
Scholars primarily involved in the project are Angela Axworty, Sara Confalonieri, Vincenzo De Risi, Catherine Goldstein, Antoni Malet, Thomas Morel, Volker Remmert, Sabine Rommevaux, and Benjamin Wardhaugh.

Constraints and risks

none

Additional Information

To be eligible, candidates must hold a Master's degree (in France, an M2), obtained by September 2024 at the latest.
The following documents are required from the candidate:
1) CV
2) A proposal for the research project the student wishes to carry out over the three-year period (max. 5 pages). It may be written in French, English, German or Italian.
3) A sample text, approx. 10-20 pages, written by the candidate on the history or philosophy of science (e.g., a section of the Master's thesis).
4) If the student does not yet hold a master's degree, a letter from a faculty member stating that it is likely that they will graduate by September 2024.
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by Zoom in early July, and the results announced in mid-July.
Students of all nationalities are invited to apply; applications from women and minorities are particularly welcome.
For information on the scientific and administrative aspects of the fellowship, write to Vincenzo De Risi: vincenzo.derisi@gmail.com
Laboratoire SPHERE web page:
http://www.sphere.univ-paris-diderot.fr/?lang=fr
Pages of the doctoral schools in which the student will be enrolled:
https://ed623.u-paris.fr/presentation/
https://ed-philosophie.pantheonsorbonne.fr/
Vincenzo De Risi's personal page :
https://vincenzoderisi.academia.edu/