Brian Katz

Augustana College

March 12, 2019 (Tues.)
12:30 – 1:20 pm
SCP 229

How Do Mathematicians Believe?

Abstract:

Love it or hate it, many people believe that mathematics gives humans access to a kind of truth that is more absolute and universal than other disciplines. If this claim is true, we must ask: what makes the origins and processes of mathematics special and how can our messy, biological brains connect to the absolute? If the claim is false, then what becomes of truth in mathematics? In this session, we will discuss beliefs about truth and how they play out in the mathematics classroom, trying to understand this thing we call mathematics in higher education.