Ethics in Mathematics

HiPhiS (History & Philosophy of Science) Lecture by Matthieu Romagny, mathematician and professor at the Faculty of Sciences in Montpellier, IMAG (Montpellier Alexander Grothendieck Institute). Free admission.

Conference Summary

Mathematics, which helps us understand natural phenomena, elevates shapes and numbers to the status of abstract objects. In doing so, it breaks free from reality. What, then, remains of its connection to the tangible world, to human problems, and to society? A distinctive feature of human life is that its harmony depends on defining what is “good” or “just” in order to enable people to live together: this is ethics. When asked whether moral values have any relevance in mathematics, many professionals answer in the negative (and this sets them apart in the academic world). It is therefore natural to ask what guidelines ensure that we are doing “good” mathematics. Are there specific moral values that form an ethics of mathematics? I will argue that mathematics, like any other human activity, is a social practice rooted in reality, and I will examine the implications of this hypothesis.