Why teach history of mathematics ?

Abstract

There are questions which have only personal answers. One such question is the one in the title; another, which is intricately bound up with it, is: Why teach mathematics? On the following pages you will find my personal answers to both questions; a selection of other people's answers to one or both are listed at the end. Much longer lists could be made, and very long ones if one included also papers in other languages than English. As you will see, my list contains papers from different parts of the world and from different times in this century; it seems that many people agree, for different reasons, that one really should teach history of mathematics, but that it has to be said again and again.