| Title: | Mathematics for human flourishing |
| Speaker: | Francis Su Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics Department of Mathematics Harvey Mudd College Claremont, California |
| Abstract: |
Francis Su talks about his recent book
Mathematics for Human Flourishing.
A description of the book from Yale Press: For mathematician Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. To miss out on mathematics is to live without experiencing some of humanitys most beautiful ideas. In this profound book, written for a wide audience but especially for those disenchanted by their past experiences, an award-winning mathematician and educator weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show how mathematics meets basic human desiressuch as for play, beauty, freedom, justice, and loveand cultivates virtues essential for human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the stories told here, reveal how mathematics is intimately tied to being human. Some lessons emerge from those who have struggled, including philosopher Simone Weil, whose own mathematical contributions were overshadowed by her brothers, and Christopher Jackson, who discovered mathematics as an inmate in a federal prison. Christophers letters to the author appear throughout the book and show how this intellectual pursuit can—and must—be open to all. This talk was given at the 2020 Teaching Contemporary Mathematics Conference at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, North Carolina on January 25, 2020. Video link |
| Location: | ONLINE |
| Date: | 2/11/2021 |
| Time: | VIRTUAL |
@abstract{MCS:Colloquium:FrancisSu:2021:2:11,
author = "{Francis Su}",
title = "{Mathematics for human flourishing}",
address = "{Albion College Mathematics and Computer Science Colloquium}",
month = "{11 February}",
year = "{2021}"
}