Missions

The postdoctoral researcher will be working under the joint supervision of Prof. Andrew Arana (U. Lorraine) and Dr. Heather Burnett (CNRS - Université Paris Cité) on any topic related to the Mathematical Hygiene project.

Activités

The goal of the MATHY project is to develop a new area of study at the intersection of linguistics and the philosophy of mathematics: (what we call) mathematical hygiene. The term is based on the expression verbal hygiene, developed by the linguist Deborah Cameron (1995), to refer to the set of normative ideas that language users have about which linguistic practices should be preferred. In a parallel manner, we define mathematical hygiene as "the set of normative discourses regulating mathematical practices" (Arana & Burnett, 2023). The project has three main goals : 1) to document mathematical hygiene phenomena, with a particular focus on the history of mathematics, 2) to compare mathematical hygiene and verbal hygiene phenomena synchronically and diachronically, 3) to develop a new understanding of how verbal and mathematical hygiene phenomena arise using insights from the psychology of reasoning. We believe that studying normative discourses on mathematics in the way that sociolinguists study normative discourses on language will open the door to a better understanding of the diachronic and synchronic relationships between language and mathematics. The postdoctoral researcher will be working under the joint supervision of Prof. Andrew Arana (U. Lorraine) and Dr. Heather Burnett (CNRS - Université Paris Cité) on any topic related to the Mathematical Hygiene project.

Compétences

There are no teaching requirements in this position. However, regular participation in collective scientific activities (e.g., seminars) will be expected. Knowledge of French is an asset but not required.

Contexte de travail

The Archives Poincaré are one of the world's leading centers for the history and philosophy of science. It takes its name from being the home of Henri's Poincaré's archives, including his vast correspondence. The presence of this archive, as well as numerous other archives (notably that of the mathematical collective Bourbaki), anchors the research carried out at the AHP, indicating the importance of historical studies in the general orientation of researchers housed here. The work done at the AHP extends beyond archival studies. The AHP is, for instance, the research wing of the department of philosophy at the Université de Lorraine. It also houses researchers who teach in mathematics, engineering, and economics departments at the Universités of Lorraine and Strasbourg. At the Archives Poincaré, the postdoc will benefit from work space, access to library and electronic resources, and to participation in the research life of the laboratory.

Contraintes et risques

None