Fermat The Role of Intention in Science

05/08/2025 2h 28min
Fermat The Role of Intention in Science

Listen "Fermat The Role of Intention in Science"

Episode Synopsis

How did Pierre de Fermat's discovery of the least-time principle of light reshape the practice of science and help set the stage for Leibniz's development of the infinitesimal calculus?

Do you think "intention" is a scientifically useful concept? Could universal laws embody purposes?

Find out!