Epistemological Notes on Mathematics

Abstract

This chapter is an attempt to show how mathematical thought has changed in the last two centuries. In fact, with the discovery of the so-called non-Euclidean Geometries, mathematical thinking changed profoundly. With the negation of the postulate for “antonomasia,” that is the uniqueness of the parallel for Euclid, and the construction of a geometric theory equally valid on the logical and coherence plane, called non-Euclidean geometry, the meaning of the word “postulate” or “axiom” changes radically. The axioms of a theory do not necessarily have to be dictated by real evidence. On this basis the constructions of arithmetic and geometry are built. The axiomatic-deductive method becomes the mathematical method. It will also highlight the constant link between mathematics and the reality that surrounds us, which tends to make itself explicit through an artificial, abstract language and with clear and certain grammatical rules. Finally, you will notice the connection with the existing technology, that is the new electronic and digital technology.