Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

McLaughlin, Amy

Abstract

The twentieth century mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, conceived the ideal education to be an adventure of the human spirit whereby the manifold aspects of the individual’s capacities are explored and developed. It’s not clear how much mathematics, viewed as a dry mechanical activity consisting of mere technical calculation, could contribute to education so conceived. Yet Whitehead considered mathematical training crucial for developing mental capacity in its abstract, general, and particular operations. Mathematical activity by its very nature promotes the modes of engagement that constitute the ideal education. Understanding is best facilitated by an education where the particular and general find their meaning as they condition each other, where specialization and synoptic awareness are equally inhabited. Without this our technical work is insignificant and our high abstractions empty. Where uncertainty and aimlessness reign, we must look to education to cultivate and inspire the integrity of life lived creatively.

Comments

Includes bibliography.

Extent

51 p.

Identifier

FA00012632

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