I often asked Laplace what he thought of God. He owned that he was an atheist.
Napoléon BonaparteTags: atheism atheist french views beliefs astronomer scientist laplace pierre-simon-laplace
The genius of Laplace was a perfect sledge hammer in bursting purely mathematical obstacles; but, like that useful instrument, it gave neither finish nor beauty to the results. In truth, in truism if the reader please, Laplace was neither Lagrange nor Euler, as every student is made to feel. The second is power and symmetry, the third power and simplicity; the first is power without either symmetry or simplicity. But, nevertheless, Laplace never attempted investigation of a subject without leaving upon it the marks of difficulties conquered: sometimes clumsily, sometimes indirectly, always without minuteness of design or arrangement of detail; but still, his end is obtained and the difficulty is conquered.
Augustus de MorganTags: science truth power beauty genius admiration investigation difficulty simplicity scientists praise design obstacles results mathematics symmetry detail instrument conquer clumsy indirect lagrange laplace pierre-simon-laplace euler leonhard-euler joseph-louis-lagrange
The great masters of modern analysis are Lagrange, Laplace, and Gauss, who were contemporaries. It is interesting to note the marked contrast in their styles. Lagrange is perfect both in form and matter, he is careful to explain his procedure, and though his arguments are general they are easy to follow. Laplace on the other hand explains nothing, is indifferent to style, and, if satisfied that his results are correct, is content to leave them either with no proof or with a faulty one. Gauss is as exact and elegant as Lagrange, but even more difficult to follow than Laplace, for he removes every trace of the analysis by which he reached his results, and studies to give a proof which while rigorous shall be as concise and synthetical as possible.
W.W. Rouse BallTags: science style difficulty elegance scientists argument praise perfection proof interesting masters lagrange gauss laplace pierre-simon-laplace joseph-louis-lagrange carl-friedrich-gauss modern-analysis
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