The Importance Of Knowledge In Mathematics

There is a common misconception that associates each area of knowledge exclusively with one way of knowing. When people think about mathematics, they immediately link it with reason, or when they think about the arts they instantly connect them with emotion. In this essay I will try to challenge this assumption. Acquiring knowledge in mathematics means, at least, learning mathematical language and formulae in order to solve pure problems or apply them in real-life sectors, such as in architecture or economics. The more knowledge one acquires in mathematics, the more complex are the problems that one is able to solve. Gaining knowledge in the arts, on the other hand, involves understanding the medium through which the artist communicates and

reason. This can be seen in the tests aiming at measuring intelligence, which focus on the individual’s problem-solving skills and pose questions on logic and mathematics. The fact that deductive reasoning has been for a long time the only factor taken into account by IQ tests such as the Binet scale, which in turn were considered the only way to measure intelligence, confirms the idea that mathematics used to be considered as equal to intelligence and intelligence equal to deductive reasoning. In reality, however, other ways of knowing are required to solve mathematical problems too. We need to be familiar with the language of mathematics in order to understand a simple number; we need to know the various ways of representing mathematical concepts. Taking numbers as an example, there are different writing systems in use: the Arabic numeric system (1, 2, 3..), which I grew up with, is the most common nowadays, while the Roman numeric system (I, II, III..) was widely adopted in the past. The system is relevant because, for instance, doing multiplications with the Roman one required wide use of memory and was much more difficult than with the Arabic system, resulting in a slower development of mathematics in Roman

In order to perform convincingly, actors need to become emotionally involved with their characters, some, following the Stanislavsky method, take this to extremes and temporarily ‘become’ the characters they are to play even beyond the confines of the stage, adopting their mannerisms and physical traits. The audience, on the other hand, allows itself to become emotionally involved with the characters in order to care about what happens to them. Coleridge referred to this as “a willing suspension of disbelief”, where realism and logic are sacrificed for the sake of enjoyment and the unbelievable is believed. The audience, though, also requires language to understand the words of the actors and perception to interpret the meaning of their gestures. Without the employment of these two ways of knowing, the emotional response from the audience would not be possible. The interpretations we give to a performance may differ from one generation to another and through our lifetimes, as when we are young we do not have the knowledge of a wide variety of words or experiences that elderly people have. Older people filter the meaning of the play through the many memories of events which have occurred during their lives. If we take as an example this famous quote from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream “The course of true love never did run smooth” (Act I Scene II Line