Abstract / Synopsis
The logos or rational language of the fifth-century BCE teacher, Gorgias, as contained in the fragment On the Nonexistent, challenges a reader to understand the relationship between the existent and the nonexistent; yet the text also offers an accessible idea of logos. Inspired by William M. Priestley's approach to the study of logos through ratios, and by Ivor Grattan-Guinness's recommendation to broaden the study of historical texts in the history of mathematics and mathematics education, and pursue their significance in a heritage sense, this article suggests that this ancient non-mathematics text by Gorgias may inspire and refresh elementary mathematics educators' teaching of visualization and beginning points.
DOI
10.5642/jhummath.201901.18
Recommended Citation
Ann L. von Mehren, "Finding Teaching Inspiration from Gorgias: Mathematics Lessons from a Sophist," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 9 Issue 1 (January 2019), pages 304-316. DOI: 10.5642/jhummath.201901.18. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol9/iss1/18
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