Evariste Galois wrote two magnificent tracts on the methodology of mathematics, one on abstraction (published posthumously) and the other on instruction (published 1831). Each speaks with an immediacy that makes introduction superfluous.
Galois' abstract approach to pure mathematics has been widely adopted both in his native France and worldwide, but his desiderata for mathematical instruction have rarely held sway, even in France.
As these tracts clearly deserve to be universally known, we invite you to enter a friendly contest to provide translations into all the languages in which higher mathematics is practised or taught.Paolo Nardini teacher of mathematics and physics at Liceo Scientifico "Antonio Vallisneri" in Lucca, Italy, presented on 13 and 18 Jun 1998 a translation into Italian of the tract on abstraction. It was made in collaboration with his student Stefano Cini. It was posted here on 19 June 1998.
An Italian translation, by professor Paolo Nardini and his student Barbara Cosanti, of the tract on instruction, was presented on 17 Jun 1998, and posted on 19 June 1998.
Please send comments to Laurent Siebenmann, email: LCS@topo.math.u-psud.fr