Loase, John F.

Keck Graduate Institute

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal
Issue 13 Article 10
5-1-1996
Monasticism and Mathematics
John F. Loase
State University of New York, Westerchester Community College
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj
Part of the Logic and Foundations of Mathematics Commons, Mathematics Commons, and the
Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Claremont at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in
Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact
scholarship@cuc.claremont.edu.
Recommended Citation
Loase, John F. (1996) "Monasticism and Mathematics," Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal: Iss. 13, Article 10.
Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj/vol1/iss13/10
Monasticism and Mathematics
John F. Loase
SUNY Westchester CommunityCollege
Valhalla, NY
More than forty years ago Arnold Toynbee predicted
that tw enty-first century historians wo uld be more
interes ted in the interaction be tween Buddhism and
Christianity than in the tensions between communism
and capitalism. His prediction is p romising, given the
decline of communis m. However. it may still be quite
a leap to anticipa te our fu ture connection to the rela -
tionship between these two majo r world religions.
The thesis of thi s ar ticle is that we as mathematicians
already have a great deal in common with monastics.
Consider four parallels:
1. We areboth ascetics.
Ascetics are commonly thought of as people wearing
hair shi rts and practicing mortification of the flesh .
You may have conjured up an image of a monk but
the general p ub lic cou ld have easily substituted a
mathematician . To the public who typ ically disdains
algebra, the process of advancing a dozen or so levels
beyond calculus may seem less desirab le than the hair
shirt .
2. We are both cloistered.
Mathematicians usually practice their faith (in the dis-
crete or the continuum) in a college or university.They
rarely glimpse the relationship between thei r religi on
(ma thematics) and the eventual real world applica-
tions of their work. Monks likewise spend much of
their time in activ ities (such as prayer), where the link
to influence in the outside world is uncertain .
3. Wesharean attitude thatmoneycauses debasement
Bertrand Russell never quite recove red from the seven
year stress of writing Principia. He lost several hun-
dred dollars in publishing his work. Principia is a hall-
mark of intellectual accomplishment and though not
ma the matics, is revered by most mathe maticians.
After completing my third book th is year 1have done
a litt le better financially than Russell's negative earn-
ings. But 1wa s recently vol unteered to presen t a mini-
Humanistic Mathnru2tics Network jounull #13
course next year at a northeastern conference. Wh en 1
embarrasse dly brought up the issue of honorarium,
my colleague told me that the budget wa s very sma ll
for the conference. I volunteered to give the course
for free.
The next day my sister-in-law was cha tting about the
fee a consultant was getting to deliver a two day writ-
ing seminar at her office-$30,OOO. When my jaw re-
bounded from the floor, my sister-in-law comforted
me by adding tha t there we re three extra days tha t
the consultant would be involved w ith their company
as part of the fee.
With two sma ll children need ing college ed uca tions
in twenty yea rs, I encourage a grad ua l fina ncia l de-
basement wi th in our mathemat ical community. After
all , the best selling CD in Europe last yea r was
"Ch an t" , au then tic Gregor ian chan ts from th e
Benedictine monks of Santo Domingo De Silos. The
monastics may be leading the way for us.
4. Paradox inheres in monasticismand mathematics.
Thomas Mert on , a celebrated Trappist monk, said of
himself, " I find myself travelling toward my destiny
in the belly of a paradox." He went on to elabora te
that life (in his view ) was almost totally parad oxical
and that the very contradictions in his life were signs
of God 's mercy. The mercy was evidenced by his ab il-
ity to function in light of his insecurity and confusion
over the ubiqu itous paradoxes of life [1]. According
to Merton, both Christian and Buddhist monks are
"poured out into the world" by bearing witness to
the contemplative experience. This pouring out into
the world while removing oneself from the world is a
grand paradox. By every measu re our world is increas-
ingly reaching out to monastics for their example in
our troubled times.
After hi s ascetic ordeal of seven years , Bertrand
Russell failed (in Principia) to provide ma thematics
with a secure foundation in logic. Goedel later showed
23
us tha t the axiomatic method possessed intrinsic lim i-
tat ions even when confined to the natural numbers.
According to Ernst Snapper, " It is evident tha t such a
founda tion is not necessary for technical mathema ti-
cal research, but there a re still those among us who
yea rn for it. The au tho r (Sna pper) believes that the
key to the founda tions of mathematics lies hidden
somewhere among the philosophical roots of logicism,
intuitionism, and formalism" [21. We push the fron-
tiers of ma themati cs po ssibly "in the belly of para-
dox."
CONCLUSION
In a moving ABC d ocumentary, entitled The Monas-
tery, interviewers visi ted a Massach use tts monastery.
They gained exquisite access to the candid and pri-
va te feelings of the monks. One monk questioned his
life, sayi ng that he had no d irect ev idence tha t God
existed. Ano ther ad mi tted his pain at not having had
a fam ily. Their touching honesty sugges ted that they
had seldom if ever discussed these issu es.
A decade la ter, it may be time for us to d iscuss the
relation between our isolating and esoteric mathemati-
cal endeavors and their long-term influence toward
people. Both monastics and mathematicians currently
live in a sha dow world , w hen it comes to understand -
ing our long-term effects upon society. If monastics
can open themselves up to scru tiny by television, per-
haps mathematicians can follow suit an d candi dly
discus s the role of mathematician s in society. We may
need he lp from qualitati ve psychologis ts like the vi-
sionary Amedee Giorgi. The Berli n wall ha s fallen; it
is time to break the more formidable w alls separating
collegiate discipli nes.
REFERENCES
(1) Henry. Patrick and DonaldSwearer. For the Sake ofthe World. Min-
neapolis: FortressPress, 1989.
(2] Snapper, Ernst "The Three Crises in Mathematics: l ogicism, lntu-
itonism.and Formalism", Mathematics Magazine. 52:4,Sept. 29, 1979,
p.214.
24
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The 8th International Congress on Mathematical Education
(ICME-8) willbe held inSevilla. Spainduring Jufy 14-21 . 1996. fCME-
Swill aimtoincreasethe development of mathematical education in
order to improvethe learning and teaching ofmathematics.
TheCongress will includeawidevariety atscientificactivitiesand an
extensive culturaland socialprogram.Between3,500 and4,000 oar-
ticipants are expected to attend. Principal activi ties include plenary
and ordinary lectures, working groups, topic groups, round tables,
workshops, national presentations,short presentations.projects, films,
and special exhibits.Therewillalso be exhibitions of textbooks, soft-
ware, and other teaching materials. Each participant will receive a
copy of the Congress proceedings.
The FirstAnnouncement tor ICME-8 has been published.Torequest
acopy ottheSecond Announcement. send yourname.address, and
e-mailaddress to:ICME-8,Apartado deCoffees 4172. 41 080 sevilla,
Espana;fax34-5-4218334. lnformafionon ICME-8will be postedon
the World Wide Web at the URl : http: / /icme8 .us .es /
ICME8 . h tm l.
Humanistic Mathmratics Nrlu"Ork /oumat #13


English

Monasticism and Mathematics

Scholarship@Claremont

Humanistic Mathematics Network JournalIssue 13 Article 105-1-1996Monasticism and MathematicsJohn F. LoaseState University of New York, Westerchester Community CollegeFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnjPart of the Logic and Foundations of Mathematics Commons, Mathematics Commons, and theReligious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Claremont at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion inHumanistic Mathematics Network Journal by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contactscholarship@cuc.claremont.edu.Recommended CitationLoase, John F. (1996) "Monasticism and Mathematics," Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal: Iss. 13, Article 10.Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj/vol1/iss13/10Monasticism and MathematicsJohn F. LoaseSUNY Westchester CommunityCollegeValhalla, NYMore than forty years ago Arnold Toynbee predictedthat tw enty-first century historians wo uld be moreinteres ted in the interaction be tween Buddhism andChristianity than in the tensions between communismand capitalism. His prediction is p romising, given thedecline of communis m. However. it may still be quitea leap to anticipa te our fu ture connection to the rela -tionship between these two majo r world religions.The thesis of thi s ar ticle is that we as mathematiciansalready have a great deal in common with monastics.Consider four parallels:1. We areboth ascetics.Ascetics are commonly thought of as people wearinghair shi rts and practicing mortification of the flesh .You may have conjured up an image of a monk butthe general p ub lic cou ld have easily substituted amathematician . To the public who typ ically disdainsalgebra, the process of advancing a dozen or so levelsbeyond calculus may seem less desirab le than the hairshirt .2. We are both cloistered.Mathematicians usually practice their faith (in the dis-crete or the continuum) in a college or university.Theyrarely glimpse the relationship between thei r religi on(ma thematics) and the eventual real world applica-tions of their work. Monks likewise spend much oftheir time in activ ities (such as prayer), where the linkto influence in the outside world is uncertain .3. Wesharean attitude thatmoneycauses debasementBertrand Russell never quite recove red from the sevenyear stress of writing Principia. He lost several hun-dred dollars in publishing his work. Principia is a hall-mark of intellectual accomplishment and though notma the matics, is revered by most mathe maticians.After completing my third book th is year 1have donea litt le better financially than Russell's negative earn-ings. But 1wa s recently vol unteered to presen t a mini-Humanistic Mathnru2tics Network jounull #13course next year at a northeastern conference. Wh en 1embarrasse dly brought up the issue of honorarium,my colleague told me that the budget wa s very sma llfor the conference. I volunteered to give the coursefor free.The next day my sister-in-law was cha tting about thefee a consultant was getting to deliver a two day writ-ing seminar at her office-$30,OOO. When my jaw re-bounded from the floor, my sister-in-law comfortedme by adding tha t there we re three extra days tha tthe consultant would be involved w ith their companyas part of the fee.With two sma ll children need ing college ed uca tionsin twenty yea rs, I encourage a grad ua l fina ncia l de-basement wi th in our mathemat ical community. Afterall , the best selling CD in Europe last yea r was"Ch an t" , au then tic Gregor ian chan ts from th eBenedictine monks of Santo Domingo De Silos. Themonastics may be leading the way for us.4. Paradox inheres in monasticismand mathematics.Thomas Mert on , a celebrated Trappist monk, said ofhimself, " I find myself travelling toward my destinyin the belly of a paradox." He went on to elabora tethat life (in his view ) was almost totally parad oxicaland that the very contradictions in his life were signsof God 's mercy. The mercy was evidenced by his ab il-ity to function in light of his insecurity and confusionover the ubiqu itous paradoxes of life [1]. Accordingto Merton, both Christian and Buddhist monks are"poured out into the world" by bearing witness tothe contemplative experience. This pouring out intothe world while removing oneself from the world is agrand paradox. By every measu re our world is increas-ingly reaching out to monastics for their example inour troubled times.After hi s ascetic ordeal of seven years , BertrandRussell failed (in Principia) to provide ma thematicswith a secure foundation in logic. Goedel later showed23us tha t the axiomatic method possessed intrinsic lim i-tat ions even when confined to the natural numbers.According to Ernst Snapper, " It is evident tha t such afounda tion is not necessary for technical mathema ti-cal research, but there a re still those among us whoyea rn for it. The au tho r (Sna pper) believes that thekey to the founda tions of mathematics lies hiddensomewhere among the philosophical roots of logicism,intuitionism, and formalism" [21. We push the fron-tiers of ma themati cs po ssibly "in the belly of para-dox."CONCLUSIONIn a moving ABC d ocumentary, entitled The Monas-tery, interviewers visi ted a Massach use tts monastery.They gained exquisite access to the candid and pri-va te feelings of the monks. One monk questioned hislife, sayi ng that he had no d irect ev idence tha t Godexisted. Ano ther ad mi tted his pain at not having hada fam ily. Their touching honesty sugges ted that theyhad seldom if ever discussed these issu es.A decade la ter, it may be time for us to d iscuss therelation between our isolating and esoteric mathemati-cal endeavors and their long-term influence towardpeople. Both monastics and mathematicians currentlylive in a sha dow world , w hen it comes to understand -ing our long-term effects upon society. If monasticscan open themselves up to scru tiny by television, per-haps mathematicians can follow suit an d candi dlydiscus s the role of mathematician s in society. We mayneed he lp from qualitati ve psychologis ts like the vi-sionary Amedee Giorgi. The Berli n wall ha s fallen; itis time to break the more formidable w alls separatingcollegiate discipli nes.REFERENCES(1) Henry. Patrick and DonaldSwearer. For the Sake ofthe World. Min-neapolis: FortressPress, 1989.(2] Snapper, Ernst "The Three Crises in Mathematics: l ogicism, lntu-itonism.and Formalism", Mathematics Magazine. 52:4,Sept. 29, 1979,p.214.24",CD00)=0')"' .....E"':CIlN=~'" .....:i:~c: ~0 ....<II •<II c:CIl .-~ '"Ole.c:OOo -U'"-CO "S:c: CIl000- .'" c:E 0CIl o ---c: '"_ 0.c ~_"0CO WThe 8th International Congress on Mathematical Education(ICME-8) willbe held inSevilla. Spainduring Jufy 14-21 . 1996. fCME-Swill aimtoincreasethe development of mathematical education inorder to improvethe learning and teaching ofmathematics.TheCongress will includeawidevariety atscientificactivitiesand anextensive culturaland socialprogram.Between3,500 and4,000 oar-ticipants are expected to attend. Principal activi ties include plenaryand ordinary lectures, working groups, topic groups, round tables,workshops, national presentations,short presentations.projects, films,and special exhibits.Therewillalso be exhibitions of textbooks, soft-ware, and other teaching materials. Each participant will receive acopy of the Congress proceedings.The FirstAnnouncement tor ICME-8 has been published.Torequestacopy ottheSecond Announcement. send yourname.address, ande-mailaddress to:ICME-8,Apartado deCoffees 4172. 41 080 sevilla,Espana;fax34-5-4218334. lnformafionon ICME-8will be postedonthe World Wide Web at the URl : http: / /icme8 .us .es /ICME8 . h tm l.Humanistic Mathmratics Nrlu"Ork /oumat #13

John Loase

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