Mathematics and the Aesthetic: New Approaches to an Ancient AffinityNathalie Sinclair, William Higginson A majority of the chapters in this book first saw the light of day as talks at a conference organised and held at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in April 2001. This small, invitational meeting, tellingly entitled Beauty and the Mathematical Beast, brought together a range of academics int- ested in and committed to exploring connections between mathematics and aesthetics. The enthusiastic response of participants at this gathering enco- aged the presenters to expand upon their initial contributions and persuaded the organisers to recruit further chapters in order to bring a greater balance to the whole. The timing of this event was not arbitrary. The preceding decade had seen a resurgence in serious writing dealing with deeper relations between mathematics (and science) and ‘the beautiful’. In many ways, we the editors of this volume found these contributions to the literature were revisiting and drawing on themes that had been prominent over two thousand five h- dred years ago, in certain writings of the Pythagoreans. While not intending to offer a historical reappraisal of these ancient thinkers here, we have none the less chosen to invoke this profound interweaving of the mathematical and the aesthetic to which this reputedly secretive philosophical sect was ext- sively attuned. This book is divided into three sections comprising three chapters each, each with its own short introduction discussing the particular chapters within. |
Contents
Introduction to Section A | 20 |
Beauty and Truth in Mathematics | 41 |
Experiencing Meanings in Geometry | 58 |
Introduction to Section B 86 | 85 |
The Meaning of Pattern | 105 |
Mathematics Aesthetics and Being Human | 126 |
Introduction to Section C | 144 |
Drawing on the Image in Mathematics and | 160 |
Sensible Objects | 191 |
Chapter ω Aesthetics and the Mathematical Mind | 223 |
255 | |
277 | |
Other editions - View all
Mathematics and the Aesthetic: New Approaches to an Ancient Affinity Nathalie Sinclair,William Higginson No preview available - 2006 |
Mathematics and the Aesthetic: New Approaches to an Ancient Affinity Nathalie Sinclair,William Higginson No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
abstract activity actual aesthetic algebra appear argued argument artist attention beauty become called century Chapter circle claimed complete concept concerned connection consider construction course described diagram discussion drawing dynamic geometry elements ematics example experience explore expressed fact feel Figure function given Greek human hyperbolic ideas important instance interest involved least logical look math mathematicians mathematics means mechanism method mind models nature noted notion objects observed offered original painting particular patterns perhaps philosophical plane play pleasure possible present principle problem produced proof Pythagoreans question reason referred result role seems seen sense simply specific straight structure suggested symbols symmetry theorem theory things thought tion triangle true truth turn understanding University various visual writing wrote