@article{ergo 1140, author = {Kevin Davey}, title = {On Euclid and the Genealogy of Proof}, volume = {8}, year = {2021}, url = {https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article/id/1140/}, issue = {0}, doi = {10.3998/ergo.1140}, abstract = {<p>I argue for an interpretation of Euclid’s postulates as principles grounding the science of measurement. Euclid’s <i>Elements</i> can then be viewed as an application of these basic principles of measurement to what I call <i>general measurements</i>—that is, metric comparisons between objects that are only partially specified. As a consequence, rather than being viewed as a tool for the production of certainty, mathematical proof can then be interpreted as the tool with which such general measurements are performed. This gives, I argue, a more satisfying story of the origin of proof in Ancient Greece, and of the status of Euclid’s postulates.</p>}, month = {12}, issn = {2330-4014}, publisher={Michigan Publishing Services}, journal = {Ergo an Open Access Journal of Philosophy} }