As I was going through the readings, I gave my best effort to really picture myself living in each time period that was mentioned throughout the readings. In Kline's article especially, I found that it was difficult to imagine myself being a mathematician living in the medieval European times.The most interesting point that I found was the idea that all nature served man however man's life here on Earth was just a means to a final end goal of spiritual exaltation. So with man's main purpose here on earth being spiritual salvation, where does a physical life, health, science, literature, and philosophy lay on the spectrum of priorities in comparison? It's hard to think about living such a one dimensional life coming from the world we live in, especially with Creighton's extensive core, filled with the arts and philosophy's of the world. It really does make sense, however, that mathematics and abstract thinking took a back seat to the idea of saving one's own soul. Moving to other parts of the world where math made a bit more of an evolution, the Hindus and the Arabs, it makes one wonder what the connection between math and religion actually is. With such pivotal advancements being made in Hindu and Arab communities such as the notion of zero and negative numbers, what was the difference between medieval Europe and these nations? How did religion play its role in both of these nations? Why is there such a stark difference in the advancement of mathematical thinking?
It's even more interesting to move to the other end of the spectrum with the Romans, being unproductive in the advancement of mathematics because they were "too much concerned with practical results to see farther than [their] nose." The medieval world was too much preoccupied by the does and don't of everyday life in order to grant access into the spirit kingdom of God to worry about abstract thinking here on Earth. Mathematics can't bloom in either of these kinds of nations, so, what kind of conditions do you think would foster the highest mathematical advancement in the shortest amount for a given civilization?
I also found it interesting how religion has played such an influential role in the progression of mathematics. The early Christian perspective that nature served man and all knowledge of the natural world existed in scripture promoted a very static worldview, with little incentive for better understanding. In contrast, Islam was one of the few religions historically to view scientific procedures as a necessity for religious ritual. Being that religious practice in pursuit of salvation was priority number one throughout this time period, it is not surprising that Muslim society was the “scientific center of the world” in the Middle Ages.(Overbye) Clearly the relationship between religion and science influences an ethical dilemma for topics such as mathematics, which likewise may hinder or help mathematical progression.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is why western civilization now ranks as a scientific leader in the world. While religion can be severed from the practice of math and science in western society, it remains relevant in Islam as an important aspect of understanding. To what extent is the correlation between science and religion necessary? With advancements in technology, the promotion of education, and freedom to seek better understanding, the modern western world advocates mathematical advancement with little if any limitations. While religion has often frowned upon math in the past, reformation in various denominations has led to greater acceptance of scientific advancement. Is the ethical “line” growing thin due to this outlook? As covered in the readings, religion has often played a role in controlling what is considered ethical, but in today’s society who is to say? Will we ever reach a point where advancement in mathematics is not for the greater good or has that point already been passed?
Will, you bring up an interesting question about if we’ll ever reach the point where math starts being harmful. I think that’s a common question in various applied fields. Will our knowledge of a topic allow us to create/discover something earth-shattering that ultimately ends up harming society more than it helps? There are things in pop culture that address that too, whether in regards to genetics or artificial intelligence. And I agree that religion has often been a source for helping decide what is ethical or unethical, as seen in the Middle Ages readings. In today’s society, however, I think that the overall influence of religion has declined in comparison to that of the Middle Ages. Some would ask if that makes us less ethical, but I don’t think so. Granted, what one person thinks of as ethical might not be for another, but I think we primarily have reached a point where advancements have started to blur the line between ethical and unethical. We will only be able to tell if we reach the “breaking point” in advancements once that point has passed and we can reflect with hindsight bias.
DeleteWill, I also thought it was interesting how religion played such a huge role in the development and advancement of mathematics throughout history. The Church’s influence was not always positive, as in much of history the Church was responsible for trying to limit mathematical advancements that seemed threatening to the Church’s teachings. Many early mathematical advancements were silenced by the leaders of the Church, and were not accepted for years to come. One of the key roles of mathematics during this time period dealt with the astrological forecasts. However, the Church saw many of these astrological forecasts as being threats to their scriptural teachings. It was unlawful for a Christian to doubt the readings of the Divine Scriptures, and so when mathematicians and astrologers began to suggest that the Earth was not flat, and that the heavens were not “glued” to the edge of the earth, the Church was quick to make a stand against these people. They therefore rejected these claims, effectively condemning the study of astrology both morally and legally.
DeleteAs more discoveries were made, however, it became more and more difficult for the Church to ignore them. Saint Thomas Aquinas took it upon himself to take these Aristotelian philosophies into consideration, combining them with Catholic doctrine. Once the Church was able to establish a logical structure on which to base their theological teachings, they made the transition between discouraging mathematical advancement, and fostering it. Now mathematical advancement does not need to be considered independently from theology. Today in coming closer to God we find it helpful to work to understand the mechanisms of the world around us. Math and science have proven to be very effective tools helping us to this end. Many people see man’s main purpose on this earth as reaching spiritual salvation, and math and science give us the means to study the world around us, and thus come closer to God. It is hard to say whether or not we will ever develop anything that will end up harming our society more than it helps. For now, however, I do not see any harm in continuing our studies of math and other sciences. The worldly understanding that we get from studying these fields seems to be much more beneficial than harmful.
I also found it interesting how in Islam it was staying how anyone who learns more about astronomy knows more about God. Where As before I feel like people weren't always encouraged always learn more. As we were disusing in class last week, how there were usually very few who were actually educated and created these mathematical advances. I think it was also the first article that stated how these mathematicians were doing math at about a 5th grade level. Which at first I was kind of confused by this, but then when looking back at previous classes in elementary school you do learn a lot of the basics that are then expanded on. These mathematicians would need to have a solid base an understanding, and time before they would be able to develop math more.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was interesting the correlation between math and religion. Now that they made this connection did this make the progression of math develop more quickly? Because it was more present in their lives and they were applying it to God's did that make more individuals involved in it? I am currently in a philosophy class where we are talking about the creation and evolution the world and God. I just read this article that was talking about the big bang theory and how there could be a God, because of the extreme conditions that needed to be in place for the big bang theory to happen. Thus, there is a God because of the probability of the exact numbers of elements being present. For example if there weren't the abundance of carbon atoms there wouldn't be life. If the world would've taken longer to develop it wouldn't have stayed together long enough to form life. This article was written in the 1930's so I would be interested to see how we have advanced in science and if this would change how we would describe this theory today.
Cole, I would like to contemplate up the question that you posed at the end of your post, what kind of conditions do you think would foster the highest mathematical advancement in the shortest amount for a given civilization?
ReplyDeleteI feel like this can be extended to every area of human knowledge. The thing a society needs is a hunger. A society must be hungry to learn all that has been first, just like the Arabs did, then it must it has to have a hunger to test for itself if those previous thoughts are even correct. The Arabs had that hunger, they sought out everything they could find, then as they began translating they wanted to make sure they were not just blindly following a piece of information that could have been wrong. It is this curiosity that a society needs to expand its knowledge in all areas. If we think that something is perfect, then there is no point on elaborating on it further.
This goes back to our first day of class where Dr. Crist told us how people today view math as this perfect thing that has always existed. We know that this is not the case, that math has slowly evolved into this sophisticated piece of machinery that we have today. However, it was because people questioned old knowledge and kept wanting to understand more, and push those boundaries that we have arrived to where we are at today. I think we have to remember that just because a piece of knowledge or writing is old doesn't mean that it is perfect or without flaw. It's just like how first reading said,"yesterday's science, is today's mythology."
I too found the tie between mathematics and religion in the society very intriguing. I used to wonder why they didn't have as much motivation to advance their knowledge, but now I understand. When I was younger, every time I put myself back in time, I felt that I would try to learn everything about what was around me because it's so interesting and I couldn't imagine otherwise. After reading this though, about religion and its impact, I think I can understand how this happened. I also found it interesting that mathematicians were synonymous with astrologers, and this reminds me about going to church/mass now. Many services I have attended showed astronomy in a negative light even in these time. It may not be synonymous with math, but space still has an enormous mystically in the church/chapel, and I'm now curious what impact that has today.
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