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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
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Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Tired: A Reflection On Asceticism And The Value Of Quantitative Assessment, Frances Dean
Tired: A Reflection On Asceticism And The Value Of Quantitative Assessment, Frances Dean
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
I have spent a lot of time thinking this past year and a half about the relationship between asceticism and success. As a mathematics student and a collegiate athlete, I have far too often gotten caught up in the pursuit of objective standards. This chase has left me burnt out and broken. Existential philosophy has been my greatest asset in discerning the true purpose of asceticism. I reflect on this journey and the nature of assessment in this short reflection.
Book Review: What Is A Mathematical Concept? Edited By Elizabeth De Freitas, Nathalie Sinclair, And Alf Coles, Brendan P. Larvor
Book Review: What Is A Mathematical Concept? Edited By Elizabeth De Freitas, Nathalie Sinclair, And Alf Coles, Brendan P. Larvor
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This is a review of What is a Mathematical Concept? edited by Elizabeth de Freitas, Nathalie Sinclair, and Alf Coles (Cambridge University Press, 2017). In this collection of sixteen chapters, philosophers, educationalists, historians of mathematics, a cognitive scientist, and a mathematician consider, problematise, historicise, contextualise, and destabilise the terms ‘mathematical’ and ‘concept’. The contributors come from many disciplines, but the editors are all in mathematics education, which gives the whole volume a disciplinary centre of gravity. The editors set out to explore and reclaim the canonical question ‘what is a mathematical concept?’ from the philosophy of mathematics. This review comments …
Incorporating Philosophy, Theology, And The History Of Mathematics In An Introduction To Proof Course, Steven Deckelman
Incorporating Philosophy, Theology, And The History Of Mathematics In An Introduction To Proof Course, Steven Deckelman
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this article I describe a project activity for an undergraduate introduction to proof course aimed at mathematics and computer science majors that combines logic and philosophy with a significant dimension of writing. Pedagogically, the project involves a broader range of critical thinking skills than is usual in such courses. Undergraduate students analyze Anselm of Canterbury's and Kurt Gödel's proofs of the existence of God using modal logic.
Some Thoughts On The Epicurean Critique Of Mathematics, Michael Aristidou
Some Thoughts On The Epicurean Critique Of Mathematics, Michael Aristidou
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this paper, we give a comprehensive summary of the discussion on the Epicurean critique of mathematics and in particular of Euclid's geometry. We examine the methodological critique of the Epicureans on mathematics and we assess whether a 'mathematical atomism' was proposed, and its implications. Finally, we examine the Epicurean philosophical stance on mathematics and evaluate whether it was on target or not.
Perchance To Dream: Art, Mathematics, And Shakespeare, Randall E. Cone
Perchance To Dream: Art, Mathematics, And Shakespeare, Randall E. Cone
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Visual representation of textual works has often aided in the understanding of sophisticated concepts. In the Digital Age this is particularly true, given the advent of natural language processing, the ubiquity of general programming languages, and the maturation of digital visualization. In this article, we eschew the traditional disciplinary boundaries to view and analyze Shakespeare’s works in various ways. Our point of departure is Hamlet, where we first examine the play as a unity — both graphically and analytically. We then focus on Act III, Scene 1, where we analyze one of the most famous passages in English Literature: …
Badiou’S Logics: Math, Metaphor, And (Almost) Everything, Vladimir Tasic
Badiou’S Logics: Math, Metaphor, And (Almost) Everything, Vladimir Tasic
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Mathematics plays a central role in the philosophical system of Alain Badiou. The aim of this essay is to situate this appeal to mathematics in the broader context of his work, including its literary and political elements.