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Mathematical relativism: logic, grammar, and arithmetic in cultural comparison

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journal contribution
posted on 2014-03-03, 11:54 authored by Christian Greiffenhagen, Wes Sharrock
Cultural relativism is supposed to be a bold and provocative thesis. In this paper we challenge the idea that it is an empirical thesis, i.e., one that is supported through anthropological and historical examples. We focus on mathematical relativism, the view that a mathematics from another culture or time might be so radically divergent from our mathematics that ‘theirs’ would stand in direct conflict with ‘ours’ (and in that sense constitute an alternative mathematics). We question in what sense the examples given to support the general thesis are relativistic about mathematics and argue that on close inspection they are not, and certainly not in any radical sense. We do not contest the fact that there can be great mathematical diversity between cultures, but wonder whether it makes sense to talk of ‘the same’ mathematical forms in heterogeneous mathematical environments. Finally, while relativists see the later Wittgenstein as providing support for their own thesis, we claim that Wittgenstein argues against both realism and relativism.

History

School

  • Social Sciences

Department

  • Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies

Citation

GREIFFENHAGEN, C. and SHARROCK, W., 2006. Mathematical relativism: logic, grammar, and arithmetic in cultural comparison. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 36 (2), pp.97-117.

Publisher

© The Executive Management Committee / Blackwell Publishing

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publication date

2006

ISSN

0021-8308

eISSN

1468-5914

Language

  • en