The Crest of the Peacock, the non-European roots of mathematics

A quote by Joseph summarizes my thoughts on this reading really well, "How we see ourselves is shaped by the history we absorb, not only in the classroom but in films, newspapers, television programmes, novels and even strip cartoons" (Joseph, 1991, p.1). Everything we see is influenced entirely by what we are allowed to see. This reading argues that many contributions of colonized civilizations and people were ignored as part of the subjugation and dominance of Eurocentric view of mathematics. Recent case studies in India, China, and parts of Africa indicated the existence of scientific creativity and technological achievements long before the invasion of Europe (Joseph, 1991, p.2). I have no doubts that the inhabitants of these countries were intelligent and made many discovers which would contribute immensely to mathematics but were lost due to forgotten knowledge or omittance. It surprised me to learn how much knowledge from India, China and the Hellenistic world influenced mathematical developments Arabs advancements and the interconnectedness of these countries. 

Figure 1.3 from Joseph shows the transmission of knowledge to Western Europe (1991). However, it was discovered that this knowledge dates back even further to Egypt and the Mesopotamians, shown in Figure 1.4. 

I learned that India influenced the Arabs by knowledge in Indian numerals and algorithms, Indian trigonometry, and solutions of equations in general and indeterminate equations. I also learned that westward flow of technology from China in 15^th/16^th century introduced ideas like the wheelbarrow, crossbow and gunpowder but also mathematical ideas like the Chinese Remainder Theorem used in number theory. These are all important contributions to mathematics, but it is disheartening to know that there are possibly many more just forgotten knowledge and not passed on through the dominance of Eurocentrism. 

 

Source: 

Joseph G.C., (1991). The Crest of the Peacock The Non-European Roots of Mathematics. Princeton University Press. Princeton and Oxford. Pp. 1-24