Mathematics Education as a Humanities Form of Education-A Brief Introduction to the History of the Philosophy of Mathematics Education

Mathematics holds a key position among many subjects of school education. Besides having an instrumental value, mathematics for the general public has been underestimated. Thus, in this paper we examine how western educational theorists have emphasized the value of mathematics as humanities form of education. First of all, we discuss Platonism as a philosophical basis of the ancient Greek mathematics education. Next, we examine the thoughts of Froebel, who provided the theoretical basis for the public education since 19th century, and discuss the value of mathematics teaching in their humanistic educational thoughts. Also, we examine the humanistic value of mathematics education in Dewey\\`s educational philosophy, which criticized the traditional western ethics and epistemology, and established instrumentalism. In this paper, we recognize the humanistic values of mathematics education through the historical examination of the philosophies of mathematics education.