Equal and Proportional Man: Mathematics of Standards in Historical Perspective

摘要

World in Balance is a great read. Crease offers a well-informed and engaging account of the history of standards with original vistas of artistic responses to modern standards. Without intending to detract from its qualities, I want to bring up what I consider to be two blind spots in the author's account. To identify these, I will start with a brief sketch of the history of standards that partly rehearses the story of Crease but that shifts the emphasis somewhat. As is my habit as a historian, I will start off with an event from the past.