BOTH SACRED AND PROFANE: THE UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY OF NUMBER.
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| Title: | BOTH SACRED AND PROFANE: THE UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY OF NUMBER. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Ernest, Paul1 p.ernest@ex.ac.uk |
| Source: | Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal. Mar2026, Issue 43, p1-37. 37p. |
| Subject Terms: | History of mathematics, Dualism, Numerals, Philosophy of mathematics, Infinity (Mathematics), Mathematics |
| Abstract: | The article explores the dual nature of number and mathematics as both sacred and profane throughout history, tracing their origins from prehistoric spiritual and ritual contexts to modern secular and utilitarian applications. It highlights how early number concepts—zero, one, and infinity—emerged from religious, mystical, and philosophical traditions across diverse cultures, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and ancient civilizations, before being formalized into precise mathematical entities. The text details the evolution of mathematics from sacred practices embedded in cosmology, ritual, and temple administration in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and Greece, to the later bifurcation into “pure” mathematics as an intellectual, quasi-sacred pursuit and “profane” mathematics serving commerce, governance, and technology. In the modern era, profane mathematics has become dominant, underpinning data-driven capitalism, surveillance, and algorithmic control—phenomena described as new “gods” Mammon, Moloch, and Dataism—while the inner sacredness of mathematics persists among practitioners as a form of reverence for mathematical truth. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for ethical reflection on mathematics’ societal roles, given its profound power and ambivalent legacy as both a source of human insight and a tool of control. [Extracted from the article] |
| Copyright of Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal is the property of Paul Ernest, Emeritus Professor at University of Exeter, School of Education & Lifelong Learning and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 193194590 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: BOTH SACRED AND PROFANE: THE UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY OF NUMBER. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ernest%2C+Paul%22">Ernest, Paul</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> p.ernest@ex.ac.uk</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Philosophy+of+Mathematics+Education+Journal%22">Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal</searchLink>. Mar2026, Issue 43, p1-37. 37p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22History+of+mathematics%22">History of mathematics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dualism%22">Dualism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Numerals%22">Numerals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Philosophy+of+mathematics%22">Philosophy of mathematics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Infinity+%28Mathematics%29%22">Infinity (Mathematics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematics%22">Mathematics</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The article explores the dual nature of number and mathematics as both sacred and profane throughout history, tracing their origins from prehistoric spiritual and ritual contexts to modern secular and utilitarian applications. It highlights how early number concepts—zero, one, and infinity—emerged from religious, mystical, and philosophical traditions across diverse cultures, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and ancient civilizations, before being formalized into precise mathematical entities. The text details the evolution of mathematics from sacred practices embedded in cosmology, ritual, and temple administration in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and Greece, to the later bifurcation into “pure” mathematics as an intellectual, quasi-sacred pursuit and “profane” mathematics serving commerce, governance, and technology. In the modern era, profane mathematics has become dominant, underpinning data-driven capitalism, surveillance, and algorithmic control—phenomena described as new “gods” Mammon, Moloch, and Dataism—while the inner sacredness of mathematics persists among practitioners as a form of reverence for mathematical truth. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for ethical reflection on mathematics’ societal roles, given its profound power and ambivalent legacy as both a source of human insight and a tool of control. [Extracted from the article] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal is the property of Paul Ernest, Emeritus Professor at University of Exeter, School of Education & Lifelong Learning and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193194590 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 37 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: History of mathematics Type: general – SubjectFull: Dualism Type: general – SubjectFull: Numerals Type: general – SubjectFull: Philosophy of mathematics Type: general – SubjectFull: Infinity (Mathematics) Type: general – SubjectFull: Mathematics Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: BOTH SACRED AND PROFANE: THE UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY OF NUMBER. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Ernest, Paul IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 03 Text: Mar2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 14652978 Numbering: – Type: issue Value: 43 Titles: – TitleFull: Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
