BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Ancient Chinese mathematics in action: Wu Wen-Tsun's ethnic histor
 icism after the Cultural Revolution - Jiri Hudecek (Department of History 
 and Philosophy of Science)
DTSTART:20110504T120000Z
DTEND:20110504T130000Z
UID:TALK30777@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Alexandra Bacopoulos-Viau
DESCRIPTION:Ethnic historicism is a basic component of cultural nationalis
 m. It presumes the existence of a national essence\, to be discovered thro
 ugh historical studies\, which can inspire the revival of a depressed ethn
 ic\ncommunity. Science can be subject to ethnic historicism for broadly th
 e same reasons\, and with the same effects\, as other human activities\, a
 s\nthe case of the Chinese mathematician Wu Wen-Tsun (born 1919) shows. He
  followed in many ways the reformist 'route to ethnic historicism' describ
 ed schematically by Anthony D. Smith. Wu's position also exhibits many com
 mon features of the reformist compromise between the national essence and 
 a universalist ideal of progress of humanity. It shows that an application
  of nationalist principles to mathematics\, rather than religion or politi
 cal organisation\, is perfectly possible\, and involves\nbroadly similar a
 rguments and myth-making strategies. Although the scope for truly cultural
 ly distinctive practice inspired by historicism is severely limited in mod
 ern mathematics\, Wu Wen-Tsun managed to establish a local Chinese school 
 in his research area (automated deduction and equation solving)\, capable 
 of competition in the world. This (the setup of a 'rival nation of one's o
 wn') has been portrayed as the ultimate motivation for cultural nationalis
 m by Ernest Gellner. Wu's story thus demonstrates that opposing theories o
 f cultural nationalism can be quite\ncompatible in individual cases.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR