Literary notes about Calculus (AI summary)
The term "calculus" has been employed in literature to denote both precise mathematical disciplines and broader systems of methodical thought. In many excerpts, it explicitly refers to established branches of mathematics—for instance, integral and differential calculus are discussed rigorously in contexts like [1], [2], [3], and [4], while specialized forms such as the calculus of chances, probabilities, and differences appear in [5], [6], and [7]. Moreover, the word often takes on a metaphorical role, as seen in Santayana’s observation that thought is not merely a mechanical calculus [8] and Sidgwick’s critique of the "calculus of Egoistic Hedonism" [9]. This dual usage—both as a technical mathematical tool and as a symbol of calculated reasoning or even critique of reductionist thought—demonstrates the versatility of the term across a range of literary works. Additionally, there is even a playful or anatomical twist in its usage with a reference to a medical condition in [10].