13996

Thinking Across the Divide: Mathematics, History, and Society

Anuj Misra

Additional information / Pre-requisites

Guest auditors are welcome, but will have to register first via email: wissensgeschichte@geschkult.fu-berlin.de

Comments

This course discusses developments in mathematics within their historical, sociocultural, and philosophical contexts. In this course, students will learn about mathematical encounters between different cultures by reading historical documents from various sources. Course objectives: The objectives of this course are to train learners in (a) recognising diversity in mathematical thinking; (b) becoming aware of the interconnectedness between mathematical activities, sociocultural practices, geopolitical movements, and philosophical positions; and (c) analysing the past to engage with the present. In addition, the course is designed to help students develop transferable skills in historical analyses, critical thinking, verbal and written communication, and collaborative research. Course description: The course introduces the history of mathematical practices in different cultures. Through a series of lectures, we will examine select contributions from classical antiquity, post-classical history, and the modern period. Our emphasis will be on understanding the diversity in the mathematical thinking of different cultures. The lectures will include material from historical books, research articles, monographs, and textbooks. In addition, we will also include articles from ethnographic and anthropological studies to understand non-traditional forms of mathematical practice: for instance, the study of South Indian kolam (decorative patterns) design or the Mäori art of mahi kete whakairo (weaving of flax kits). Towards the end of the first half of this course, we will select (parts of) a historical mathematical text to discuss it in greater detail. This selection will be chosen in consultation with all participating students. For example, our selection could come from Euclid’s Elements, Brahmagupta’s Brahmasphu?asiddhanta, al-Khwarizmi’s Al-kitab al-mukhta?ar fi ?isab al-jabr wa?l-muqabala, Qín Jiusháo’s Shùshu Jiuzhang, Regiomontanus’ De Triangulis Omnimodis, Descartes’ Le Discours de la méthode, or Whitehead and Russell’s Principia Mathematica (to name just a few). close