René Taton

The French mathematician and historian of science René Taton (1915–2004)

René Taton (4 April 1915 – 9 August 2004) was a French mathematician, historian of science, and long co-chief-editor of the Revue d'histoire des sciences. He was awarded both the highest lifetime achievement awards in the field of history of science: the George Sarton Medal, in 1975, and the Alexandre Koyré Medal, in 1997.

Life

Taton was born on 4 April 1915 in L'Échelle, France. In 1935, he became a student of École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud. He was a mathematician before moving to the history of science, and in 1951 cemented the move by earning a doctorat d'état ès lettres with philosopher Gaston Bachelard as his advisor, focusing on the history of projective geometry; his primary thesis concerned the work of Gaspard Monge and his accessory thesis concerned Girard Desargues.

He died on 9 August 2004 in Ajaccio, Corsica, France. the Koyré Medal in 1997,

Works

To continue the calculus (collection of Abbot Moreux), 1945? History of computing, coll. "What do I know? "1946 Mental arithmetic, Presses Universitaires de France, coll. "What do I know? " n o 605, Paris. First edition: 1953, 128 p., (notice BnF n o FRBNF326561651 ) . Last Edit: 1979, 126 p., , (notice BnF n o FRBNF34655169f ) . Casualties and accidents of scientific discovery: illustration of some characteristic stages of the evolution of science, published by Masson et al. "Evolution Science" n o 6, Paris, 1955, 172 p., (notice BnF n o FRBNF32656167q ) . General History of Science (1957 to 1964), reissue (1966-1983). Historical Studies of Science (collected his 85 th birthday by Danielle Fauque Myriana Ilic and Robert Halleux), Brepols Publishing, coll. "From diversis artibus" n o 47, Turnhout, 2000, 544 p., , (notice BnF n o FRBNF37734558t ) . Later writings, 2000, compiled by R. Halleux