33rd Novembertagung on the History and Philosophy of Mathematics

The Novembertagung on the History and Philosophy of Mathematics is an annual international conference aimed at PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in the history and philosophy of mathematics. The conference has a long history as a friendly event for early-career researchers in the history and philosophy of mathematics. It offers the opportunity to get in touch with others in related areas and to receive valuable feedback on presentations. 

This year’s theme will be “Interactions between the history and philosophy of mathematics,” with a special focus on methodological issues and the notions of mathematical rigor, proof, and algorithm. The conference is planned as an in-person event, but if there is demand we aim to offer hybrid participation for non-speakers.

Keynote lectures will be given by Zvonimir Šikić (University of Zagreb), Karine Chemla (CNRS, SPHERE), Georg Schiemer (University of Vienna) and Silvia De Toffoli (IUSS Pavia).

Call for Abstracts
Early-career researchers, both pre-and post-doctoral, are invited to submit abstracts on any of the topics to follow. Abstracts should be in English and not exceed 300 words. All submissions should be suitable for a 20-minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes of discussion time. While the topic of the submission should ideally be related to the conference’s theme, most topics that fall under the philosophy or history of mathematics can fruitfully be connected to it, and could thus be valuable additions to the conference. Possible topics include but are not limited to:

• Should history of mathematics be philosophically informed?

• Should the philosophy of mathematics be historically informed?

• The value of historical case studies for the philosophy of mathematics

• The evolution of the notions of proof, rigor, and algorithm

• The evolution of the axiomatic method

• History and philosophy of non-western mathematics

• Diagrammatic reasoning

• The role of geometry and visual intuition in shaping ideas about mathematics

• ….

Abstracts should be sent as a PDF file, prepared for blind review, to [email protected]. In your email, please include your full name and affiliation. 

We expect to secure limited funding for travel expenses, although that is still pending - please mention if you would like to be considered for funding.

Moreover, the University of Rijeka offers cheap accommodation for participants.

Thedeadline for submissions is Tuesday, the 1st of  August 2023. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so submitting earlier is an option if an earlier decision would make it easier for you to secure funding from your institution.

If you have any questions, feel free to email [email protected].