Trivium & Quadrivium

"Logistic was practical and utilitarian, a study for children and slaves; logic was a liberal art, a study for free men" I stopped at this point it really showed the progression we've made in terms of who we allow education for. Let alone the prejudice against women and people of color in recent times, going back even further we education was even more exclusive and elitist, not allowing others to learn and having slaves. I know that the educational system isn't perfect, but we have made some good steps forwards in being more empathetic and inclusive. Even with post-secondary education, I think Canada has the right idea with subsidizing for their citizens, I compare it to the US where some students can't afford post-secondary school and cannot afford to get a degree. I hope that we can move into a world where education isn't discouraged because of pricing, but everyone can have an equitable shot of success, no matter their socio-economic background. We shouldn't discourage smart people from succeeding because of money.

 "towards the end of this period, the Hindu-Arabic number system was beginning to be known in Europe"  This caught my attention because it reminded me of my assignment I just recently completed. I hadn't learnt about the impact that Hindu-Arabic math had, especially on our decimal place-value system. It originated in the east and moved over to the west, yet in school we aren't taught that. We are just told what it is, and because so much of the curricula is taught from the perspective of ancient Greek philosophers and mathematicians, I just assumed it originated from there. This highlights the importance of teaching mathematical history as having an accurate account of history could inspire people of different race/ethnicities to feel properly represented.

"The arithmetic of the schools did not receive the wholehearted approbation of all the people" This quote made me stop because we were talking about medieval mathematics and yet this problem still persists today. Mathematics to some is seen just as computation, and doesn't have much depth to be explored into. I believe this starts from a place of math anxiety in common days, where people are turned away from mathematics at a young age and do not come back around to appreciate its beauty. This could also be because students haven't been properly taught math in a way that inspires creativity or inquiry. As we move forward with developing how we teach, we can hopefully inspire young math students to see how interesting and applicable it can be.