2008©Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics & Information Age Publishing Comments provoked by "Flaws and idiosyncrasies in mathematicians: Food for the classroom? " by Theodore Eisenberg

In mathematics classes, it is appropriate for many reasons to discuss mathematicians as people with lives, personal problems, both influenced by and influencing cultural movements and societal issues. Mathematics is a human activity, and mathematicians are human. Eisenberg's paper raises important and fascinating issues, such as the extent to which intellectual achievements can be kept separate from the personality and actions of their creator (such as Wagner). However, in my reactions, I suggest ways in which I believe the discussion needs to be broadened and refocused. Nature of the sample of vignettes The set of vignettes presented in Section 2 could serve to reinforce inaccurate and harmful beliefs about the nature of mathematics: • Academic mathematics is solely a European intellectual achievement Until comparatively recently, histories of mathematics were extremely Eurocentric. Such bias has been substantially corrected by scholars such as Swetz (1994), Joseph (1992), and Powell and Frankenstein (1997). There is no lack of examples of eminent non-European mathematicians