Invention of mathematics as a public good

[timelets]

Further unparalleled glimpses into the heuristics of Greek mathematics are afforded by the Method – in the introductory letter, Archimedes explains to Eratosthenes that he wants to make public the way in which many of his results had occurred to him, so that people can benefit from it and discover even more theorems.

-- Serafina Cuomo. Ancient Mathematics. p. 109.

Paradoxically, the Greeks invented math and science as an open intellectual endeavor, but their conquerors — the Romans — benefited from its applications the most.

On the theory side, the "open source" approach creates lots of opportunities for independent incremental innovation.

e.g. see https://timelets.dreamwidth.org/571455.html
https://timelets.dreamwidth.org/582821.html