Philosopher's Zone Mathematics and the good life
Dec 12, 2021
Laura Kotewska, a Lecturer in education and philosophy at the University of Sydney, explores the intriguing intersection of mathematics and moral self-cultivation. She delves into the thoughts of 17th-century Port Royalists, showcasing their critiques of mathematics as 'useless' for happiness, yet emphasizing its potential in nurturing moral virtues. Kotewska highlights how mathematical reasoning can cultivate character and how it was used as an indirect educational tool to instill virtues in students, offering valuable lessons for today's science and philosophy.
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Math As Moral Training
- Port-Royalists like Antoine Arnaud and Pierre Nicole link mathematics to moral and epistemic virtue rather than mere technical usefulness.
- They revised Euclid and wrote logic texts to train the mind for moral and religious ends.
Mathematics: Dangerous But Redeemable
- Arnaud and Nicole warn mathematics can be useless for happiness and lead practitioners into vanity and hubris.
- They nonetheless defend math as valuable when it serves cultivation of reason for moral ends.
Reasoning Skills Over Technical Gains
- Mathematics trains 'exacting reason' and models clarity and distinctness that Arnaud and Nicole value for everyday moral judgment.
- They treat math as a tool to recognise truth, order thought, and love truth for moral life.
