%0 Conference Paper %1 radford2004cec %A Radford, Luis %B Proceedings of the 2004 History and Pedagogy of Mathematics Conference & ESU4 %C Uppsala, Sweden %D 2006 %E Kaijser, S. %E Tzanakis, C. %E Furringhetti, F. %K algebra cerme6 cerme6-patterns economics history learning mathematics mythesis notation philosophy representation symbolism symbols %P 509-524 %T The Cultural-Epistemological Conditions of the Emergence of Algebraic Symbolism %U http://laurentienne.ca/NR/rdonlyres/C443B157-22B9-44BD-BBB1-3BA7696F4D7E/0/algebraic_symbolism.pdf %X The main thesis of this paper is that algebraic symbolism emerged in the Renaissance as part of a new type of thinking − a new type of thinking shaped by the socioeconomic activities that arose progressively in the late Middle-Ages. In its shortest formulation, algebraic symbolism emerged as a semiotic way of knowledge representation inspired by a world substantially transformed by the use of artefacts and machines. Algebraic symbolism, I argue, is a metaphoric machine itself encompassed by a new general abstract form of representation and by the Renaissance technological concept of efficiency. To answer the question of the conditions which made possible the emergence of algebraic symbolism, I enquire about the cultural modes of representation of knowledge and human experience and look for the historical changes which took place in cognitive and social forms of signification.

@inproceedings{radford2004cec, abstract = {The main thesis of this paper is that algebraic symbolism emerged in the Renaissance as part of a new type of thinking − a new type of thinking shaped by the socioeconomic activities that arose progressively in the late Middle-Ages. In its shortest formulation, algebraic symbolism emerged as a semiotic way of knowledge representation inspired by a world substantially transformed by the use of artefacts and machines. Algebraic symbolism, I argue, is a metaphoric machine itself encompassed by a new general abstract form of representation and by the Renaissance technological concept of efficiency. To answer the question of the conditions which made possible the emergence of algebraic symbolism, I enquire about the cultural modes of representation of knowledge and human experience and look for the historical changes which took place in cognitive and social forms of signification.}, added-at = {2008-05-30T04:57:27.000+0200}, address = {Uppsala, Sweden}, author = {Radford, Luis}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/264518992ad2989020b4dd9f68a872e23/yish}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2004 History and Pedagogy of Mathematics Conference & ESU4}, editor = {Kaijser, S. and Tzanakis, C. and Furringhetti, F.}, interhash = {f2eefe85f38d9bdf1a63f7b31efbb849}, intrahash = {64518992ad2989020b4dd9f68a872e23}, keywords = {algebra cerme6 cerme6-patterns economics history learning mathematics mythesis notation philosophy representation symbolism symbols}, pages = {509-524}, timestamp = {2008-10-04T15:24:09.000+0200}, title = {The Cultural-Epistemological Conditions of the Emergence of Algebraic Symbolism}, url = {http://laurentienne.ca/NR/rdonlyres/C443B157-22B9-44BD-BBB1-3BA7696F4D7E/0/algebraic_symbolism.pdf}, year = 2006 }