| Popis: |
In this article, I examine two conjectures about the origin of mathematical intuition advanced by L.E.J. Brouwer in view of contemporary psychological and educational research. It is argued that the unfolding of the fundamental intuition of mathematics, the abstraction of the relation of n to n + 1, can be understood in terms of processes related to perception of formal properties of sensory stimulation, attention, and memory that emerge in early infancy. Additionally, I argue that these elementary processes support the construction of more complex mathematical entities throughout the life-span. Language (and logic) becomes the vehicle for expressing and communicating, albeit imprecisely, mathematical entities constructed from the abstract properties of perceptual activity. Finally, I consider some implications of the intuitionistic perspective for mathematics education. |
