Three things that stood out to me in this reading were:
1) The distinguishing between liberal education and technological training. I feel like in today's world, we are much more focused on the technological training so that students can "contribute to society." I do not describe myself as anti-capitalist, but I do recognize how much the arts is pushed aside in order to make profits. At the University of Alberta, the engineering building got a brand new floor with interesting patterns engraved in stone. This flooring cost more than the yearly budget of the entire performing arts department. I feel that this idea of knowledge as a liberal education has been lost in favor of progress. When student's ask "when will this be useful?" I realize that I don't need a practical answer, the concept of being intrigued by its beauty should be enough.
2) The importance of Easter in keeping math alive through the European middle ages. The amount of times this article referenced determining Easter was intriguing to me. Members of the clergy had to have math knowledge solely to solve this singular problem. I realize how different things are important at different times. In our time, it is the math of binary operations and logic that fuel our society, it would be interesting to read a similar article in the future that looks back upon our years and recognizes the fascination with a certain aspect of math.
3) The intertwining of numerology and mathematics. It is well known how much religion influenced the European middle ages, but I did not realize how much religion influenced the math at the time. This article paints even Pythagoras in a different light, for I now see how strange math becomes when it becomes deified. To think of numbers not as interesting in themselves but the key to unlocking their god. Maybe I shouldn't be so critical, because one could argue that the current scientific method is doing a similar thing. All humans want to access the secrets of the universe, some just think they will take a different form than others.
Hi Evan, I find the connections you are making between math and society so insightful! I really encourage you to keep cultivating that connective thinking and the criticality with which you approach it. I recall going into the nanotech building at UofA in my undergrad once and thinking how futuristic it felt as compared to the Ed building or even CAB. Sure makes a clear political statement!
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