As I state in Part 1, literacy can be defined as the human ability to read and write. I also state numeracy can be defined as the human ability to understand and work with numbers. And while the historical foundations of numeracy are arithmetic and geometry, mathematical literacy expands into algebra, trigonometry, probability, statistics, and beyond.
Here in Part 2, I will highlight calculus as the mathematics of change. This is because Western philosophy began with the problem of change. Two important philosophical questions in ancient Greece were: 1) What is everything made of? 2) Why do things change? Please note the ancient Greeks used the word motion for any kind of change. Therefore, the problem of change can also be referred to as the problem of motion.
The ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus (624 – 546 BC) is known for stating, “Everything is water.” Perhaps this is because we can observe water in three states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (vapor). Also, we can observe water moving/changing back and forth between ice, water, and vapor in an orderly fashion. Even though his answer to the problem of change was not correct, Thales initiated the agenda for Western philosophy by openly asking the right questions and methodically seeking the correct answers.
Again, there was no demarcation between mathematics and philosophy in ancient Greece. And until at least the 1800s, science was referred to as natural philosophy. Nevertheless, the problem of change in the sciences eventually prompted the invention of calculus as the mathematics of change. I recommend the following books on calculus for further ventures into literacy, numeracy, and philosophy.
- Calculus for Everyone: Understanding Physics and the Mathematics of Change by Mitch Stokes
- Change is the Only Constant: The Wisdom of Calculus in a Madcap World by Ben Orlin
- Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe by Steven Strogatz
- What is Calculus? by Chris McMullen
~ Boethius ~