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LOST Opportunities pp 85–91Cite as

When Is Mathematics, and Who Says So?: A Commentary on Part I

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Part of the book series: Explorations of Educational Purpose ((EXEP,volume 23))

Abstract

Ralph Waldo Emerson stated the emotional center that the papers in this section are trying to recover:

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Three papers in this section report on mathematics and one on science. The issues are both different enough to invite a separate discussion, for which there is no space, and similar enough (formal, specialized vocabulary, procedure-focused, calculations-dependent) for the discussion of one to stand for them both. So I discuss the mathematics papers and only occasionally include a “(and science)” reminder that what is being said might apply to both topics.

  2. 2.

    On ordinary as a term of compliment, see classic American thought from Emerson and Dewey to Stanley Cavell, the Marxism of Antonio Gramsci and Raymond Williams, and most versions of cultural anthropology.

  3. 3.

    For the same omniscience attributed by television scientists, see Kruse (2010).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Ray McDermott

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  1. Ray McDermott
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Correspondence to Ray McDermott .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Exploratorium, Lyon Street 3601, San Francisco, 94123, California, USA

    Bronwyn Bevan

  2. College of Education, University of Washington, Miller Hall 312F, Seattle, 98195-3600, Washington, USA

    Philip Bell

  3. Northwestern University, Campus Drive, Walter Annenberg Hall, room 319 2120, Evanston, 60208-0001, Illinois, USA

    Reed Stevens

  4. College of Education, University of Illinois, Chicago, M/C 147 W. Harrison St. 1040, Chicago, 60607, Illinois, USA

    Aria Razfar

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McDermott, R. (2013). When Is Mathematics, and Who Says So?: A Commentary on Part I. In: Bevan, B., Bell, P., Stevens, R., Razfar, A. (eds) LOST Opportunities. Explorations of Educational Purpose, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4304-5_6

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