POMSIGMAA Invited Guest Lectures at the JMM

Invited Guest Lectures at the Joint Mathematics Meetings

POMSIGMAA has sponsored invited guest lecturers at the AMS/MAA Joint Math Meetings:

At 2024 AMS Joint Meetings in San Francisco, CA, Friday, January 5, 2024, 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Moscone Center, Room 303
Arezoo Islami, San Francisco State University
will give the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics: Dissolving Wigner's Applicability Problem" Abstract.

At 2023 AMS Virtual Joint Math Meetings, April 6 - 9, Russell Marcus, Hamilton College gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "A Philosophical Account of Mathematics that Won't Make You Hate Philosophers" Abstract. Slides(pdf).

At 2022 AMS Virtual Joint Math Meetings, April 6 - 9, Nicolas Fillion, Simon Fraser University gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "Trust but verify: What can we know about the reliability of a computer-generated result?" Abstract. Slides.

At 2020 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in Denver CO, January 16 - 19, Michael Huemer, University of Colorado--Boulder gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "Possible and Impossible Infinities" Abstract . Slides. For more details, see his book, Approaching Infinity.

At 2019 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in Baltimore, MD, January 16 - 19, Professor Michele Friend, of George Washington University gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "The Rigour of Proof" Abstract . Slides. For more details, see her book, Pluralism in Mathematics; A New Position in Philosophy of Mathematics.

At 2018 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in San Diego, CA, January 10 - 13, Professor Rafael Núñez, of UCSD gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "Philosophy of Mathematics in the 21st Century: Why does it need the Sciences of the Mind?" Abstract.

At 2017 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in Atlanta, GA, January 4 - 7, Jeff Buechner, of the philosophy department at Rutgers University Newark and the Saul Kripke Center, CUNY Graduate Center, gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "Computers, mathematical proof, and the nature of the human mind: a surprising connection." Abstract. Slides available in long or short version: long(pdf). short(pdf)

At the 2016 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in Seattle, WA, January 6 - 9, Bonnie Gold of Monmouth University, gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "Is School Mathematics 'Real' Mathematics?" Abstract. Full text (pdf)

At the 2015 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in San Antonio, TX, January 10 - 13, Matt Jones, of California State University Dominguez Hills, gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "Mathematical Authority and Inquiry-Based Learning." Abstract.

At the 2014 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in Baltimore, MD, January 15 - 18, Steve Gimbel of Gettysburg College gave the POMSIGMAA Invited Address, "Hermann Minkowski: The Quiet Genius." Abstract.

At the 2013 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in San Diego, CA, January 9 - 12, Mark Balaguer of California State University, Los Angeles, gave the POMSIGMAA invited address "A Guide for the Perplexed: What Mathematicians Need to Know to Understand Philosophers of Mathematics." Abstract. Full text (pdf) Handout (pdf)

At the 2012 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in Boston, MA, January 4 - 7, Barry Mazur of Harvard University gave the POMSIGMAA invited address, "Why is it plausible?" Abstract. Full text (pdf) Slides (pdf)

At the 2011 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in New Orleans, LA, January 6 - 9, Keith Devlin of the Center for the Study of Language and Information at Stanford University gave the invited address, "Will the real philosophy of mathematics please stand up?" Abstract.

At the 2010 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in San Francisco, CA, January 13 - 16, Charles Chihara (Philosophy Department, University of California at Berkeley) gave the invited POMSIGMAA address, "What is Philosophy of Mathematics? A Case Study of Fictionalism." Abstract.

At the 2009 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in Washington, DC, Chandler Davis (University of Toronto) gave an invited address, jointly sponsored by HOMSIGMAA (the SIGMAA for the History of Mathematics), "The Role of the Untrue in Mathematics". Abstract.

This was subsequently published in the Mathematical Intelligencer:
Davis, C. The Role of the Untrue in Mathematics. Math Intelligencer 31, 4–8 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00283-009-9038-x

Preliminary version

At the 2008 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in San Diego, Penelope Maddy, of the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science of the University of California at Irvine, gave an invited address at the POMSIGMAA session, "How applied mathematics became pure." Abstract.

At the 2007 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in New Orleans, Klaus Peters, of AK Peters LTD, gave an invited address at the POMSIGMAA session, "Does a proof exist if nobody has read it?" Abstract.

At the 2006 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in San Antonio, Paul Humphreys, of the University of Virginia, gave an invited address on "Pure and Applied Computational Mathematics: Some Philosophical Morals". Abstract.

At the 2005 AMS/MAA Joint Meeting in Atlanta, Jonathan Borwein, of Dalhousie University, gave an invited address, "Philosophical Implications of Experimental Mathematics" Abstract.