Mathematics, ethics and purism: an application of MacIntyre's virtue theory.
A traditional problem of ethics in mathematics is the denial of social responsibility. Pure mathematics is viewed as neutral and value free, and therefore free of ethical responsibility. Applications of mathematics are seen as employing a neutral set of tools which, of themselves, are free from soci...
| Publicado en: | Synthese Vol. 199; no. 1/2; pp. 3137 - 3168 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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Springer Nature
Dec2021
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=153650915&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 153650915 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00397857 4LI jtl: Synthese issn: 00397857 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Dec2021 vid: 199 iid: 1/2 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 153650915 10.1007/s11229-020-02928-1 ppf: 3137 ppct: 31 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 370KB tig: atl: Mathematics, ethics and purism: an application of MacIntyre's virtue theory. aug: au: Ernest, Paul affil: Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, St Lukes Campus, Heavitree Road, EX1 2LU, Exeter, UK Exeter, UK su: MacIntyre, Alasdair C. (Alasdair Chalmers), 1929-2025 Philosophy of mathematics Social responsibility Virtue ethics Social ethics Mathematics education sug: subj: MacIntyre, Alasdair C. (Alasdair Chalmers), 1929-2025 Philosophy of mathematics Social responsibility Virtue ethics Social ethics Mathematics education keyword: Absulutism Alasdair MacIntyre Ethics and mathematics Mathematics Purism Social constructivism Social practice ab: A traditional problem of ethics in mathematics is the denial of social responsibility. Pure mathematics is viewed as neutral and value free, and therefore free of ethical responsibility. Applications of mathematics are seen as employing a neutral set of tools which, of themselves, are free from social responsibility. However, mathematicians are convinced they know what constitutes good mathematics. Furthermore many pure mathematicians are committed to purism, the ideology that values purity above applications in mathematics, and some historical reasons for this are discussed. MacIntyre's virtue ethics accommodates both the good mathematician (and good pure mathematics) and the ethics of the social practice of mathematics. It demonstrates that purism is compatible with acknowledging the social responsibility of mathematics. Four aspects of this responsibility are mentioned, two concerning the impact of mathematics via education, and two concerning explicit and implicit applications of mathematics. The last of these opens up the performativity of mathematical and measurement applications in society, which change the very processes they are supposed to measure. Although these applications are not explored in detail, they illustrate the importance of considering the ethics and social responsibility of mathematics in society. MacIntyre's virtue theory opens a broad approach to the controversial topic of the ethics of mathematics encompassing purism, and absolutist and social constructivist philosophies of mathematics, but still enabling ethical critiques of the impact of mathematics on society. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Synthese is a copyright of Springer, 2021. All Rights Reserved. item: Synthese holder: Springer Nature dt: @attributes: year: 2021 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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