As part of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications’ 60th Anniversary programme, we are co-hosting a hybrid evening event that connects IMA members, the wider mathematics community and public in a conversation about what we really mean when we imagine the relationship between mathematics and society in the past, present, and future.
By explicitly raising the question of what mathematics and society owe each other, this event aims to depart from usual approaches that take such a mutual obligation for granted, that look to find mathematics and mathematicians in places they are presumed to belong with values that are presumed to be shared, or that see mathematics and its societal manifestations as significant simply because they are there.
The event’s question has been fundamental, if often just beneath the surface, to the history of mathematics-society relations for as long as there has been mathematics and organised societies, bearing on topics such as elite and mass education, expertise in public policy, numeracy and governance, and the motives and potential of both ‘pure’ and ‘applied’ research. How have past and present societies understood and acted upon different values placed on mathematics? How have past and present mathematicians conceived of their relationship to society? Might these histories suggest alternative futures for mathematics education, research, policy, and engagement? How can the mutual obligations of mathematics and society change to meet today’s and tomorrow’s values and challenges?
Panelists
The heart of the event will be the discussions that participants have in online and in-person breakout groups. To set the stage, three experts on the history of mathematics will start the event with a brief panel discussion, drawing on history to illuminate some major themes in the relationship between mathematics and society.
- Dr Snezana Lawrence FIMA, Middlesex University, is a historian of mathematics and of maths education and creator of mathsisgoodforyou.com.
- Prof Serafina Cuomo, Durham University, is a Classicist and historian of ancient mathematics.
- Prof Jon Agar, University College London, is a historian of modern science and technology.
The panel and event will be moderated by Dr Michael Barany, University of Edinburgh, a historian of modern science and mathematics.
For full information and to book, please visit https://mathsworlds.org/ima60.html
For members wishing to attend the West Midlands in-person discussions, the venue for this will be:
- Watson Building, Lecture Theatre C, University of Birmingham B15 2TS
This event is supported by the IMA North West and West Midlands Branches.
