14/06/2023

Folha: Viana recounts Nicholas Saunderson's life story.

Reproduction of Marcelo Viana's column in Folha de S. Paulo.

The English theologian, historian, and mathematician William Whiston (1667–1752), a professor at Cambridge University, held religious views that were unorthodox for his time. Among other things, he rejected the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity, which he considered to be of pagan origin. This was too much for the university authorities, who, in 1710, dismissed him from his position as Lucasian Professor and expelled him from the institution. He was replaced by an even more remarkable figure.

As a baby, Nicholas Saunderson (1682–1739) contracted smallpox, a disease that was usually fatal at the time. He survived, but lost his sight forever. This did not prevent him from acquiring a good education: he learned mathematics from his father and it is believed that he learned to read by reading tombstone inscriptions with his fingers.

In 1707, he moved to Cambridge: he was not admitted as a student, but he could use the library. Under Whiston's patronage, he was allowed to teach, giving classes in mathematics, astronomy, and optics, with great success among the students. At the request of some officials, on November 19, 1711, he received the title of Master, even though he did not have the degree, which made him eligible to replace Whiston. He was elected Lucasian Professor the very next day, defeating the opposing candidate by 6 votes to 4.

A talented and charismatic professor, Saunderson contributed greatly to the emphasis on mathematics in the Cambridge University curriculum and to the dissemination of Newton's ideas. His book "The Method of Fluxions Applied to a Selected Number of Useful Problems," published after his death, was the first systematic exposition of differential calculus. Although he did not usually publish his work, notes from his lectures circulated widely. Some were collected in "The Elements of Algebra in Ten Books," another posthumous work.

Some historians credit him with the discovery of Bayes' Theorem, an important mathematical result that underlies the spectacular recent development of artificial intelligence. Although the theorem is named after Reverend Thomas Bayes (1701–1761), we know it was known before, and Saunderson may actually have been the first.

In "Letter on the Blind for the Use of Those Who Can See," published in 1749, the French philosopher Denis Diderot (1713–1784) discusses how knowledge is achieved through both perception and reason. Saunderson appears as a character, representing someone in whom the senses are replaced by logical genius, in the quest to understand divinity.