Euclid and his Modern Rivals

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Euclid and his Modern Rivals is a mathematical work by Lewis Carroll, issued in 1879 under his real name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. It considers the theoretical work of a series of contemporary mathematicians, demonstrating how each in turn is either inferior to or functionally identical to that of Euclid. This work is evidence of the relative conservatism of Dodgson, and his unwillingness to accept the theories, proliferating at the time, of non-Euclidean geometry.

Despite its scholarly subject and content, the work takes the form of a whimsical dialogue, principally between a mathematician named Minos and a "devil's advocate" named Professor Niemand (German for 'nobody') who represents the "Modern Rivals" of the title.