Work

Does understanding moderate aesthetic appraisals of proofs?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The relationship between understanding and aesthetic appraisal in mathematics is an open question, with implications for both the philosophy of mathematics and mathematics education. In this study, we investigated how undergraduate students’ understanding of a mathematical proof relates to their perception of its aesthetic value. Participants were asked to evaluate the proof’s aesthetics and to complete three different assessments of their understanding. The results reveal that self-reported understanding was moderately associated with aesthetic appraisals, while two performance-based measures of understanding showed close-to-zero relationships. These findings challenge the view that aesthetic judgements in mathematics are merely disguised epistemic judgements, and suggest that future research should focus on exploring the non-epistemic factors that shape aesthetic judgements. We conclude by discussing the implications of these results for educational practices that seek to promote aesthetic experiences.

Source: The Journal of Mathematical Behavior

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmathb.2025.101284

Authors: George Kinnear, Matthew Inglis

Institutions: University of Edinburgh, Loughborough University

Language: English

Topic: Aesthetic Perception and Analysis

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,170