Donna Pierce, Whitworth University (2015).
Abstract
The nineteenth century was a time of change in Italy, as well as Europe – change in politics, commerce and industry, in the arts, in religious, philosophical and scientific thinking. Changes also occurred in mathematics including views of what mathematics was and the roles mathematics and mathematicians should play in society. In addition, there were discussions on how mathematics should be taught and the purpose of mathematical education. Institutions for the pursuit and teaching of mathematics sprung up or underwent radical changes. This three part series consists of snapshots looking at three different periods in nineteenth century Italian history, focusing on some prominent mathematicians and how they responded to these changes, especially how their faith and worldviews provided a lens through which they viewed mathematics and their role as mathematicians in a changing society. The first article in the series, Neapolitan Mathematics and the School of Fergola, is a snapshot of early 19thsup> century Naples and a fight between the synthetic and analytic schools of geometry which reflected the changing social order. The second article in the series, Mutual Goals and Collaboration, is a snapshot of the period between the Bourbon Restoration and the unification of the Italian peninsula. This was a period when mathematicians from different ideological perspectives came together with the common goal of promoting Italian mathematics. The final article in the series, Unification Brings Choices, looks at the decades prior to and following unification and how mathematicians responded to the political and religious ramifications of unification. Each article will also review the outcomes and repercussions of the choices these Italian mathematicians made. Their stories can serve as lessons for us as we consider our roles as mathematicians in a changing society.
Read the Article in .PDF format here:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three