January 31, 2017 Tuesday
Bedtime Story
Mathematics Came Astoundingly Late To Us Apes
In the human apes, complex mathematics or mathematics of higher
abstractions than seen in other animals is first visible around 3000 B.C.
Which is just about 5000 years from now.
It seems everything that occurred for the first time in terms of
civilizational impact happened around this area of Fertile Crescent that also
goes by the name of Babylonia or Mesopotamia.
Starting from writing, wheel to agriculture and irrigation, all of
it came from this region some 5000 years ago.
The area that goes by the name of Fertile Crescent is essentially
the current Middle East (or to more precise, modern Iraq) which currently seems
only fertile for war, blood-shed and amply supplied with religious zealots of
diverse views.
This also means that ever since we diverged ourselves as Homo
sapiens from last hominid Homo erectus between 400,000 to 250,000 years ago,
our ancestors did little higher abstract mathematics.
Even as late as 50,000 to 60,000 years back, when traits of most modern
human behavior such as tool making, fishing, group hunting, burial and even
rituals (? religious) were rife, plenty and well established, there was a stark
absence of higher abstract mathematics.
Which means mathematics arrived darned late!
Hence it does not come as a surprise that mathematics is difficult
and daunting, even for intelligent apes.
It perhaps was one of the last human discipline to appear and is
probably just 5000 to 6000 years old.
In contrast to mathematics, it is rather difficult to pin point
out the origins of logic.
This is so because defining logic is both elusive and evasive.
But since mathematical thinking requires logic (remember Bertrand
Russell’s quote), logic has to predate the development of abstract mathematics.
Informal logic refers to the natural language argument that
involves arguments, contestation and eventually conclusions involving words
such as therefore, hence, ergo and so on.
Logic also involves study of inferences, fallacies, paradoxes and
semantics.
This kind of later logic is known as formal logic.
Charles Sanders Pierce, an American logician and mathematician,
sometimes also known as the “father of pragmatism” in his F.R.L. (First Rule of
Logic, 1899) says this about logic and reason:
“Upon this first, and in one sense, this sole rule of reason, that
in order to learn you must desire to learn, and in so desiring not be satisfied
with what you always incline to think, there follows one corollary which itself
deserves to be inscribed upon every wall of the city of philosophy:
Do not block the way of enquiry.”
Stay tuned to the voice of an average story storytelling chimpanzee
or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night mon ami and my fellow cousin ape.
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Another great educator and a teacher that I am aware of is
Professor Subhashish Chattopadhyay in Bangalore, India.
While I narrate stories, Professor Subhashish an electronic
engineer and a former professor at BARC, does and teaches real mathematics and
physics.
He started the participation of Indian students at the International
Physics Olympiad.
Do visit him here:
All his books can be downloaded for free through this link:
For edutainment and English education of your children, I
recommend this large collection of Halloween Songs for Kids:
