The title of yesterday's post Will and Representation is of course
a reference to Schopenhauer's philosophical work of that name.
As the post itself indicates, the title is also a punning reference to
mathematical representation theory .
To avoid confusion, it should be noted that Schopenhauer's
representation , in the original German, was Vorstellung .
The German for mathematical representation theory is,
on the other hand, Darstellungstheorie . (The mathematical
use of Vorstellung is non-technical, referring to concepts
of pedagogy. (A group presentation is a Präsentation .))
For a discussion of the Vorstellung-Darstellung distinction
in philosophy, not mathematics, see…
The Retreat of Representation: The Concept of Darstellung
in German Critical Discourse , by Martha B. Helfer,
State University of New York Press, 1996, esp. pp. 24-26.
