javierderivera.net BOOK REVIEW 1

This book offers a rare case study of the interrelation between science and social realities. Its aim is to demonstrate the existence of advanced mathematical concepts, such as fractals, in African indigenous cultures. The idea for the research comes from the realization that the structure of certain indigenous villages represents fractals, a complex mathematical form that can be also found in traditional art pieces. The research question is if these cultural features rely on an actual knowledge of the mathematical concept of a fractal – something quite advanced from the point of view of Western mathematics – or were due to any other reason, such as the imitation of natural features. In that sense, the author is looking for evidence of conscious knowledge associated with the production of these fractal features, and an abstract understanding of the logic implied in them. Therefore, the underlying purpose of the book is the attribution of value to the African indigenous cultures through the recognition of their knowledge. This process of validation is not absent of theoretical problems: the first is what criteria should we use to validate a human culture, the second problem is how do we define the subjects of the validation process, and a third one could be from which position are we going to validate other cultures