A Pontifical John Paul II Partner Feature

released 1/6/2025

In this November 2024 lecture, Carlo Lancellotti explains how mathematics is at odds with the assumptions undergirding progressive education (which aims to “democratize” education) because of its inherently authoritarian nature. Mathematics introduces us to the realm of certainty and necessity in the cosmos; it requires that we submit to reality’s constraints and truths. At the same time, it discloses to us the harmonic structures that are embedded in nature and that can only be grasped by “pure” human intelligence, not by the senses alone. Lancellotti argues that integration of the moral, cognitive, and aesthetic aspects of mathematics is needed in a robust liberal arts mathematics curriculum.

This lecture is provided courtesy of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute.

25 minutes

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