The Enlightenment mindset asks for a clear delineation between faith and reason, natural and supernatural, structure and freedom, fostering a notion of dualism. This methodology has fueled mathematics for centuries, highlighted by notables such as Bertrand Russell. But in this postmodern era, there is a "Renaissance revival" taking place in mathematics, removing the walls between disciplines such as biology, literature, and art. Parallels can be made to ideas in religion and theology as well, where spiritual faith has been bolstered by recent historical, linguistic, and sociological tools. We hope to capitalize on this movement, not completely throwing away the old ways, but offering a fresh paradigm, using it to excite and engage the public on purpose, meaning, and the bigger Questions of life.
We plan on 1) continuing research in mathematics, especially as it focuses on the language of trees and the infinite, 2) incorporate art into a curricular setting based on the novel technique of folding, 3) renew a national conversation and interest in the liberal arts viewpoint, and 4) integrate a model which seeks to do these from a theological model. In particular, we hope that the academic culture begins to seriously consider the Big Questions as a natural part of their higher education, as we equip others to begin breaking down the walls between mathematics and the humanities, and to embrace the desire for obtaining spiritual information from this process.
This strategy will be carried out through mathematics articles, possible magazine pieces and editorials, and lectures at a national level, all the while equipping and training young scholars to approach academia from a holistic perspective. The set of activities outlined here will be used to help gather our thoughts into a book, and we aim to offer a book outline as a final output.
