The Purpose of Mathematics according to Plato and Augustine

Abstract

In 1973, Russian mathematician I.R. Shafarevitch delivered a lecture to the Göttingen Academy of Sciences on the purpose of mathematics. The conclusion he reached in his address is that the ultimate purpose of mathematics must be religious. In this talk, we will explore a possible way in which this claim can be justified by understanding the purpose that mathematics served within a person's intellectual formation according to Plato. To place Plato's view into a Christian perspective, we will then investigate the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo, the great fifth century theologian and bishop. Augustine's insight on the role that number plays in the development of reason sheds light on how knowledge of mathematics conduces to knowledge of God.