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Luke Tunstall

philosophy of mathematics education

2016

30

To interrogate the place of mathematics in schools is to question the work of humans for the past millennia. Nonetheless, I do so here, as an inquiry into the paradox that students spend roughly a decade in mathematics classrooms, while leaving formal schooling with few skills in quantitative literacy (Steen, 2001). Specifically in this paper, I examine the extent to which mathematics is necessary for students’ ability to flourish upon exiting school, where flourishing—using Brighouse’s (2006) framework—consists of objective goods in tandem with a lifestyle in accordance with one’s inner desires. I situate mathematics within such a framework, questioning its role in permitting students to obtain objective goods, as well as its alignment with individuals’ interests. These results—as one might imagine—engender serious questions for mathematics educators and policy-makers. Indeed, as mathematics is a human creation, we are the ones who perpetuate its manifestation in schools. I challenge readers to reflect on our ability to empower students for future flourishing, and to consider the role that mathematics has—if any—in doing so.