34th 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, philosophy, and foundations of mathematics and related areas. The conference has a long history as a friendly event for early-career researchers in the history and philosophy of mathematics. It provides a unique platform to meet and interact with others in related areas, opening doors to potential collaborations and receiving valuable feedback.

This year's theme is "Unifying the Old and the New: A Cross-Section of Contemporary Investigations and Trends in History and Philosophy of Mathematics". 

One of the main goals of the Novembertagung is to gather and connect as many young researchers from around the world as possible and to promote the study of the history and philosophy of mathematics. In line with the guidelines of the International Commission on the History of Mathematics, this year’s theme is construed broadly to include as many interesting applications as possible. 

The Organising and the Programme Committee have decided to devote the 34th Novembertagung to the following thematic blocks (note that the ensuing list is not exclusive):

• Towards a global perspective in the historiography of ancient mathematics: mathematical manuscripts and treatises in cuneiform, Greek, Chinese, Latin, Arabic, and Sanskrit – new questions and new interpretative strategies;

• Non-Western mathematical cultures: historico-philosophical considerations;

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• Interactions between history and philosophy of mathematics in the 19th and 20th centuries;

• Historico-philosophical studies of foundational crises in mathematics (Grundlagenkrisen) and the ensuing reactions to them;

• History and philosophy of “non-standard mathematics” (non-Archimedean mathematics, constructive mathematics, etc.);

• New approaches to traditional issues: the axiomatic method, the status and role of intuition and visual methods in mathematics (diagrammatic reasoning), the historical development of key mathematical notions (e.g., “proof”, “algorithm”, “rigor” or “exactitude”, etc.);

• Historical case studies in contemporary philosophy of mathematics;

• History of logic as a sui generis branch of the history of mathematics: specific problems, case studies, and open questions;

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• The institutional history of mathematics (the establishment of mathematical institutions, e.g. societies, associations, institutes, departments or research centres, the founding of mathematical journals, specialised archives and reference libraries or databases, etc.);

• Digitization of mathematical heritage;

• Is there such a thing as “national” mathematical schools?

• History and philosophy of mathematics in the era of digital humanities;

• The challenges of AI in contemporary historiography and philosophy of mathematics;

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• History, the present state, and prospects in the didactics of mathematics and mathematics education;

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• Mathematics and the arts: around the notion of “mathematical beauty”.

Early-career researchers, both pre- and post-doctoral, are invited to submit abstracts on any of the topics listed above. 

Abstracts should be written in English and not exceed 300 words. 

All submissions should be suitable for a 20-minute presentation, followed by a 10-minute discussion. 

While the topic of the submission should ideally be related to the conference’s theme, most topics that fall under the broader heading of philosophy or history of mathematics, and that can fruitfully be connected to it will be welcomed as valuable additions to the conference.

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

We expect to secure funding for travel and accommodation expenses. Please, let us know if you would like to be considered for funding. 

The deadline for submissions is 1 September 2024. 

The Organising Committee

Saša Popović, Marija Šegan-Radonjić, Frederike Lieven, Paul-Emmanuel Timotei