Chapter 9: The Human Condition, Mathematics, and Mathematics Education

This paper deals with humanness in the broad sense and how I see mathematics intrinsic to it. It is dedicated to Paul Ernest, who, as a philosopher of mathematics, recognized specificities of Mathematics Education and contributed, in a pioneering way, to the establishing the field of philosophy of mathematics education. I, particularly, owe much to Paul Ernest for his early receptivity of my proposals for ethnomathematics.

The possibility of final extinction of civilization in Earth is real. Not only through war. We are witnessing an environmental crisis, disruption of the economic system, institutional erosion, mounting social crises in just about every country and, above all, the recurring threat of war. A scenario similar to the disruption of the Roman Empire is before us, with the aggravation that the means of disruption are, nowadays, practically impossible to control.