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Wabi-Sabi Mathematics, Jean-Francois Maheux
Wabi-Sabi Mathematics, Jean-Francois Maheux
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Mathematics and aesthetics have a long history in common. In this relation however, the aesthetic dimension of mathematics largely refers to concepts such as purity, absoluteness, symmetry, and so on. In stark contrast to such a nexus of ideas, the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi values imperfections, temporality, incompleteness, earthly crudeness, and even contradiction. In this paper, I discuss the possibilities of “wabi-sabi mathematics” by showing (1) how wabi-sabi mathematics is conceivable; (2) how wabi-sabi mathematics is observable; and (3) why we should bother about wabi-sabi mathematics
Mathematical Proofs: The Beautiful And The Explanatory, Marcus Giaquinto
Mathematical Proofs: The Beautiful And The Explanatory, Marcus Giaquinto
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Mathematicians sometimes judge a mathematical proof to be beautiful and in doing so seem to be making a judgement of the same kind as aesthetic judgements of works of visual art, music or literature. Mathematical proofs are also appraised for explanatoriness: some proofs merely establish their conclusions as true, while others also show why their conclusions are true. This paper will focus on the prima facie plausible assumption that, for mathematical proofs, beauty and explanatoriness tend to go together.
To make headway we need to have some grip on what it is for a proof to be beautiful, and for …