Banca de DEFESA: ANA PAULA DE JESUS CARVALHO

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANA PAULA DE JESUS CARVALHO
DATE: 30/05/2025
TIME: 08:30
LOCAL: FFCH-PPGF-Sala de defesas
TITLE:

From number to logos: the formation of mathematical thought and its influence on the dialectical method in the Theaetetus

KEY WORDS:

Theaetetus; analogy; mathematics; dialectic.

PAGES: 135
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Filosofia
SUBÁREA: História da Filosofia
SUMMARY:

This research is driven by two central themes: mathematics and the dialectical method in Theaetetus, investigating how Plato mobilizes mathematical concepts in formulating the fundamental question of the dialogue: What is knowledge (tí estí epistéme;)? Initially, we analyze the history of ancient mathematics to identify the elements that influenced the development of Plato’s dialectical method. This approach adopts a decolonizing perspective, aiming to incorporate new fields of study into ancient philosophy, rethinking the traditional narrative and considering the presence of epistemologies that are not exclusively Hellenic in the formation of Platonic thought. Thus, we explore Egyptian and Greek mathematical traditions and their resonance in Plato’s philosophy. In this context, we examine Plato’s place within this mathematical tradition, his reflections on the science of numbers, and how mathematical problems of the time appear in the structure of the Theaetetus.It is important to note that, in the Theaetetus, mathematics does not appear merely as a field of knowledge but as part of the very structure of philosophical discourse. One example of this relationship is passage 148d, in which Plato describes Theodorus demonstrating geometrically the powers of irrational numbers, such as “those of three and five feet, which are incommensurable, in length, with that of one foot,” until reaching seventeen feet, where he stops. This passage leads us to the following question: How can something that, from a mathematical perspective, cannot be expressed in an integral form—such as irrational numbers—be translated into a unity? Understanding this mathematical context in the work requires at least a minimal grasp of the influence of mathematical traditions that shaped Plato’s understanding of mathematics, considering that the concept of dialectic present in the Theaetetus is closely linked to the mathematical framework of the dialogue.In this sense, this dissertation is structured in three parts: (1) The traditions of mathematical thought; (2) Plato and mathematics; and (3) The composition of the dialectic in the Theaetetus.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 2368479 - GISLENE VALE DOS SANTOS
Externa ao Programa - 2336935 - ALESSANDRA CARBONERO LIMA - UFBAExterna à Instituição - JOVELINA MARIA RAMOS DOS REIS - UFPA