Could it be that, compelled by our culturally-ingrained tendency toward pragmatism, reductionism, and bravado, we outwardly praise the clever functioning and data-described achievements of our technological creations, yet inwardly we sense that there is something more soul-stirring and more consistent with the good stuff of which we’re made, and more reflective of the beauty of our Maker?
We live in a seemingly increasingly divisive world. We recognize that although none of the supposed dichotomies really align with THE dichotomy, it is far too easy for us to live as such.
In his book Culture Care, Makoto Fujimura describes how our culture is influenced by a post-industrial, utilitarian view of life: life is a battle to compete for resources, which are growing increasingly scarce.
“Poetry appeals to, and enlarges, our human capacity to know something deeply and, in that way, to love it.”
“Finding time for poetry in the middle of our sometimes-frenzied lives can help us live more deliberately.”
With all the brokenness in the world, is the study of the mathematical aspects of Creation worthwhile? Are we right to pursue the beauty of pure mathematics, or should we focus our energy on studying “practical”‘ mathematical concepts which have immediate, obvious application to solving the world’s pressing problems?