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5. Dehumanisation through mathematics

Chapter of: Breaking Images: Iconoclastic Analyses of Mathematics and its Education(pp. 105–144)

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Metadata
Title5. Dehumanisation through mathematics
ContributorDavid Kollosche(author)
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0407.05
Landing pagehttps://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0407/chapters/10.11647/obp.0407.05
Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
CopyrightDavid Kollosche
PublisherOpen Book Publishers
Published on2024-12-11
Long abstractMathematics can be seen as a project of dehumanisation in the sense that it allows us to work with a disregard for personal uniqueness. While the word ‘dehumanisation’ has a negative connotation and invites us to study this property of mathematics carefully, dehumanisation is also one of the great strengths of mathematics and has proved invaluable for modern society. We will trace this f ield of tension along two indisputable ingredients of mathematics activity: calculation and logic. As there is enough literature praising mathematics, we allow ourselves to take a more critical stance towards dehumanisation through mathematics. We end with a sceptical discussion on whether mathematics can be rehumanised.
Page rangepp. 105–144
Print length40 pages
LanguageEnglish (Original)
Contributors

David Kollosche

(author)
Full Professor for Mathematics Education Research at University of Klagenfurt
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1055-2418

David Kollosche is a full professor for mathematics education research at the University of Klagenfurt in Austria. He teaches mathematics, history of mathematics, philosophy of mathematics, and mathematics education to prospective secondary school teachers. His research focusses on theoretical foundations of mathematics education, the epistemology of mathematics, the sociology of mathematics education, and students’ perspectives on mathematics education.

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