James Hume (mathematician) James Hume (mathematician) James Hume (fl. 1639) was a Scottish mathematician. He is given credit for introducing the modern exponential notation, along with René Descartes. The son of David Hume of Godscroft, sometimes therefore called described as "Scotus Theagrius", James Hume lived in France. Theagrius was a pen-name used by his father, and has been thought a macaronic form of "Godscroft". Hume published a Hebrew grammar in Hamburg, in 1624. On the title-page of his "Pantaleonis Vaticinia Satyra", dated Rouen, 1633, Hume is called "Med. Doctor". The "Satyra" is a Latin romance, imitating John Barclay's "Argenis". It is an "elegant
Thérèse the Philosopher Thérèse the Philosopher Thérèse Philosophe ("Therese the Philosopher") is a 1748 French novel ascribed to Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens. It has been chiefly regarded as a pornographic novel, which accounts for its massive sales in 18th-century France (as pornographic works were the most popular bestsellers of the time). Aside from that however, this novel represents a public conveyance (and arguably perversion) for some ideas of the Philosophes. The narrative starts with Therese, from solid bourgeois stock, becoming a student of Father Dirrag, a Jesuit who secretly teaches materialism. Therese spies on Dirrag counseling her fellow student, Mlle. Eradice, and