Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Violence In Mathematics Teaching. Reflections Inspired By Levinas’ Totality And Infinity, Adriano Demattè

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In mathematics class, violence is carried out in some usually not recognized situations. In this article, I share some reflections on the topic inspired by some passages of Totality and Infinity, work of the French-Lithuanian philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995). I find violence by the teacher in not promoting students’ understanding of mathematics, in a distorted use of rhetoric, and in interrupting an ethical relation. This article analyses situations taken from class activities, focusing on the teacher’s presentation of mathematical content and students’ interventions. I also propose that the improvement of interventions in mathematics education is possible and suggest theoretical …