Augustin-Louis Cauchy

Augustin-Louis Cauchy (1789-1857) was a devout Catholic, and an extraordinary French mathematician, considered to be one of the top twenty of all time.^[1]

He was homeschooled and became prolific at publishing papers. His major contributions were in analysis, algebra and number theory, and famously developed group theory or the "theory of substitutions" and invented the calculus of residues. He was known for insisting on rigorous proofs.

He was shunned by the mathematical establishment at first, being denied several academic positions and compelled to do his initial work from outside of the university environment.^[2] Only after achieving several stunning mathematical insights was he accepted at a faculty position. The July Revolution of 1830 resulted in the imposition of an oath of allegiance to French King Louis-Philippe, which Cauchy refused to do and lost his academic posts as a result. But in 1838 he was restored to his professorship at the École Polytechnique.^[3]

Parallels to Today[edit]

Imagine that after completing your homeschooling, you are, like Cauchy, a brilliant and renowned Christian scholar. Others demand that you must acquiesce to ideologies, leaders, or belief that you know, through your relationship with Christ and through the power of your God-given intellect, to be wrong. (For example, the college at which you work punishes people who criticize homosexuality or Obamacare and requires you to watch NFL games.) Should you go with the flow because it will advance your career, or should you stand with Christ? Would your Heavenly Father agree with those who say you should just follow your personal choice, because every choice is OK? Or does He expect you to follow Cauchy's example?

References[edit]

1. ↑ http://james.fabpedigree.com/mathmen.htm#Cauchy
2. ↑ http://www.stetson.edu/~efriedma/periodictable/html/Cu.html
3. ↑ https://www.sunsigns.org/famousbirthdays/d/profile/augustin-louis-cauchy/