Abstract
Lakoff and Nuñez's bookWhere mathematics comes from: How the embodied mind brings mathematics into being (2000) provided many mathematics education researchers with a novel, and perhaps startling perspective on mathematical thinking. However, as evidenced by reviewers' criticisms (Gold,2001; Goldin, 2001; Madden, 2001), their perspective — though liberating for many,with its humanistic emphases — remains controversial. Nonetheless, we believe this perspective deserves further constructive response. In this paper, we propose that several of the book's flaws can be addressed through a more rigorous establishment of conceptual distinctions as well as a more appropriate set of methodological approaches.
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Sinclair, N., Schiralli, M. A constructive response to `Where mathematics comes from'. Educational Studies in Mathematics 52, 79–91 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023673520853
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023673520853