Do Humans Have an Innate Capacity for Mathematics?
Viewpoint: Yes, recent scientific studies suggest that we are born with at least some mathematical ability already "hardwired" into our brains.
Viewpoint: No, mathematics involves not just counting or simple arithmetic but also abstraction, which can only exist in the presence of language skills and symbolic representation.
The debate over whether humans have an innate capacity for mathematics often hinges on two semantic questions: 1) What do we mean by "innate?" and 2) What cognitive skills are to be classified as mathematical?
In common usage we often speak of people having innate abilities in a particular area, or being a "natural" at some skill. This generally means that they have an aptitude for it; they seem to learn it quickly and easily. However, philosophers define innate knowledge as that which is not learned at all, but which is present at birth. An influential school of philosophy known as empiricism holds that innate abilities do not exist. Empiricism, championed by the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), regards all knowledge as learned, and the newborn as a "blank slate."
Yet experiments have shown that many behaviors and instincts are apparently inborn in humans as in other species.
This page contains 201 words.
Do Humans Have an Innate Capacity for Mathematics article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 4,334 words
(approx. 14 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Cognitive science Article
