Joseph's "The Crest of the Peacock"

             Joseph’s “The Crest of the Peacock” shows multicultural roots of non-European mathematics and the great impact that the Egyptians and Babylonians had on the Greeks. He also investigates the transfer of mathematical concepts from the East to the West in more detail. The book demonstrates recent research on the history of mathematics in Egypt, Mesopotamia, early Islamic civilizations, China, and India. Throughout the reading, there are three points that surprised me.

             Joseph states that the ideology of European superiority, derived from European dominance and expansion in Asia and Africa, is one of the most influential factors that “pushed back the origins of written mathematical records by at least 1500 years.” (Joseph, 1991, p.4) This surprised me as I have believed that European mathematicians are central in the development of mathematics. I realized again that what we have learned and known is not everything. Simultaneously, this point made me wonder how much more advanced mathematics would be now without European domination.

             I was surprised by the figure 1.4 which shows how mathematical ideas were spread and how they influenced each other. The way that researchers today analyze the development of mathematical knowledge across thousands of years is astounding. Also, it was interesting that the spread of religion also contribute to the spread of mathematical ideas.

            The contribution India makes to mathematics absolutely surprised me. For many nations, India served as a geographic hub that was essential in the transmission and diffusion of mathematical ideas. “The spread of Indian numerals and their associated algorithms” and “the spread of Indian trigonometry” displays the importance of India throughout the history of mathematics. (Joseph, 1991, p. 18) 


References

Joseph, G.G. (1991). The Crest of the Peacock: The Non-European Roots of Mathematics. Princeton                  University, 1-22
























Princeton University Press, 1-22

Comments

  1. Amanda FritzlanSeptember 21, 2022 at 11:25 AM

    Julie, I appreciate your critical question about how mathematics may have developed, or at least been passed down to us, without European dominating influences. The work of researchers in mathematics history is fascinating, and never complete! You connect with an interesting point about belief systems and mathematics. Later, we will look at how during the Islamic Golden Age religion played a key part in developing mathematical calculations to find the distance to Mecca.

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