Paul Ernest is a recent contributor to the social constructivist (see social constructivism

Social constructivism

Social constructivism is a sociological theory of knowledge that applies the general philosophical constructionism into social settings, wherein groups construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings...

) philosophy of mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

. He illustrates this position in his discussion of the issue of whether mathematics is discovered or invented. His fullest exposition of the social constructivist position is given in the 1998 reference, although an earlier version is given in the 1991 reference.

Paul Ernest was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in 1924 to parents John Ernest

John Ernest

John Ernest was an American-born constructivist abstract artist. He was born in Philadelphia, USA, in 1922. After living and working in Sweden and Paris from 1946 to 1951, he moved to London England where he lived and worked from 1951...

 and Elna Ernest (née Adlerbert). However he has lived and worked in the UK since childhood, apart from two years of teaching at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica (1982-84). He is currently emeritus professor of the philosophy of mathematics education

Philosophy of mathematics education

The Philosophy of mathematics education is an interdisciplinary area of study and research based on the intersection of the fields of mathematics education and the philosophy of mathematics, the latter being understood in an inclusive sense to include multidisciplinary theorizing about mathematics...

 at Exeter University, UK. Originally a student of mathematics and philosophy up to PhD level he became interested in educational issues through teaching school mathematics in London during the 1970s. His main research interests concern fundamental questions about the nature of mathematics and how it relates to teaching, learning and society. He is currently working on a semiotic theory of mathematics and education. He is best known for his work on philosophical aspects of mathematics education

Mathematics education

In contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research....

 and his contributions to developing a social constructivist philosophy of mathematics

Philosophy of mathematics

The philosophy of mathematics is the branch of philosophy that studies the philosophical assumptions, foundations, and implications of mathematics. The aim of the philosophy of mathematics is to provide an account of the nature and methodology of mathematics and to understand the place of...

.

External links

Details of Paul Ernest's publications and the web journal that he edits The Philosophy of Mathematics Education journal are given on his homepage.

• http://www.people.ex.ac.uk/PErnest/

See Paul Ernest's page at Amazon.

• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-Ernest/e/B001K8D5B2/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0