FemPhys
presents
the
Steeped
Thoughts
Award
Lecture:
Ancient
Greek
Mathematicians,
Intellectual
Outliers
by
Dr.
Jacqueline
Feke
In
the
Greco-Roman
world,
the
study
of
advanced
mathematics
was
rare.
At
most
a
few
dozen
individuals
studied
it
at
any
one
time,
and,
perhaps
because
it
was
so
rare,
some
mathematicians
found
it
necessary
to
defend
their
choice
of
vocation.
In
this
paper,
I
will
present
three
case
studies:
the
texts
of
Hero
of
Alexandria,
Claudius
Ptolemy,
and
Theon
of
Alexandria,
from
the
first,
second,
and
fourth
century
CE,
respectively.
They
each
defend
mathematics
by
positioning
it
in
opposition
to
philosophy,
the
dominant
field
of
inquiry
at
the
time.
In
order
to
bolster
the
value
of
mathematics,
they
appropriate
the
goals
of
philosophy
but
then
criticize
philosophers
for
being
unable
to
achieve
these
goals.
Where
philosophers
fail,
mathematicians
succeed.
Join
us
for
an
engaging
lecture
followed
by
lots
of
discussion
and
free
food.
All
are
welcome!