In Defense of Pure Reason

Summary

The importance for humanity of the physical sciences and of their mathematical basis has increased enormously over the last generation, both in terms of practical economic impact and as an anchor of an enlightened world view that advocates reasoned problem analysis and solution.

Yet, the critical foundations of these fields are under attack, at least in North America, from both ends of the political spectrum. There is pressure to relegate mathematics from the universal language of Nature to a social construct that is merely part of a system that perpetuates socio-historical inequities. The concepts in physics of seeking a universal understanding, or that answers to problems can objectively be right or wrong, are pushed to compromise with relativism and solipsism. The universities, representing both the cutting edge of research and the training ground for the next generation of teachers, are at the heart of this tension. For the most part, they have not recognized, or wanted to recognize the critical  threat under which Physics and Mathematics in particular may be. In any case, they have been highly ineffectual in responding to this challenge.   This workshop will aim to articulate the problem in a way that is accessible to and cogent for a wider community, and delineate avenues to understand and effectively combat the current assault on the Enlightenment.