Philosophers, Mathematics and Motion

Kinematics studies motion without considering masses and forces. It deals with geometric objects such as points, lines or planes that move in a fixed Euclidean space. The philosopher ZenoZeno of Elea took an extreme position on this point. He held that motion does not exist, implying that kinematics makes no sense. Zeno had no followers among mathematicians. On the contrary, in Greek geometry motion played an essential role. Yet against the background of the Eleatic philosophy, motion seemed a foreign element in a realm of eternal truths, and many centuries later ProclusProclus still wrestled with the problem.