英年早逝事業長存：

紀念英國數學史家與數學教育家John Grant Fauvel

美國紐約市立大學研究生院與大學中心歷史系數學史博士侯選人  徐義保

　　五月十三日，星期日，筆者晚飯後照常上網流覽新聞，查看電子信箱。一通來自英國邏輯與邏輯史學家Ivor Grattan-Guinness的郵件說『John Fauvel昨天去世。』我簡直不相信精力充沛、正值盛年的John真的離我們而去了。Grattan-Guinness教授次日的電子郵件消除了我的疑問，并提供了更具體的信息：『John Fauvel於五月十二日，星期六下午六時二十分因肝與腎功能衰竭，病逝於他好友的家中。』John真的走了。

　　John Fauvel這個名字我大概四年前在哥倫比亞大學科學圖書館看書時才初次注意到。至今仍記得當時拜讀他論述『對數史』論文時的情景。1我第一次，沒想到竟是最後一次，見到John本人是在美國數學會（AMS）與美國數學聯合會（MAA）去年二月在華盛頓共同舉辦的年會上。John作了一個題為〈卡約里與歷史的應用（Florian Cajori and the Practice of History）〉的報告。主要內容是他在卡約里生前工作過的卡羅拉多大學（Colorado College at Colorado Springs）作訪問教授時研究的結果。John在報告中主要討論了著名數學史家卡約里研究、寫作數學史與進行數學教學的關係。在會議期間，筆者與John攀談過數次，其中有一次，詢問他在伯克萊加洲大學班考夫圖書館（The Bancroft Library of the University of California at Berkeley）卡約里的檔案里有沒有中國數學史家李儼或別的中國學者與卡約里的通信。John告訴我他沒有看到這些通信，並說卡約里的檔案里很少有私人的材料，絕大部分是卡約里準備他多部著名的數學史著作的資料。閒談中，他還關心地問及我的學位論文題目以及今後打算，并告訴我他的主要與趣在怎樣把數學史應用到數學教學中去。

　　自華盛頓會議後，我對John的瞭解逐漸增多。知道他曾擔任『英國數學史學會』主席（1991-1994）；『數學史與數學教學關係（即HPM）國際研究小組』主席（1992-1996）；『國際數學史委員會執行委員會』委員（1994-1998）等其它學術職務。還知道他在擔任『英國數學史學會』主席期間，為保全十九世紀末著名數學家James Joseph Sylvester的墓免于毀壞，以及為阻止The University of Keele 把蘇格蘭教育工作者Charles W. Turner一生收集 － 一千四百余冊具有歷史價值的數學及其它科學著作 － 出售給古舊書商，做了大量的工作。但知道更多的，還是John 在HPM方面的工作，以及他在全世界不遺余力地推廣HPM所作的努力與取得的成就。

　　HPM的歷史至少可以追溯到十九世紀末，當時美國數學教育家史密士（David Eugene Smith），以及上文提及的卡約里已開始探討數學史與數學教育之間的關係。他們正是為了尋求一種新的數學教育手段而從事數學史研究的，之後又將數學史研究成果應用于教學。史密士在他著名的二卷本《數學史》的前言中寫道：『本書寫作的目的是為給教師和學生提供一本有用的有關初等數學史－即到簡單微積分的歷史－的教材。這一課題對數學教師的培養以及對高中生、大學生施行文理並重的教育的重要性已經開始被認識到。』2一九零五年，史密士建議成立國際數學教育委員會（The International Commission on Mathematical Instruction，簡稱ICMI）。這一建議於一九零八年在羅馬召開的國際數學家大會上通過。ICMI成立後對促進數學史與數學教育的結合作出了一定的貢獻。但由於二次世界大戰及其它因素的干擾，HPM在相當長的時間內沒有得到應有的發展。

　　二十世紀七十年代美國與歐洲一些從事數學教育與數學史研究的學者重新燃起了對HPM的興趣。一九七六年在ICMI內正式成立了HPM工作小組。此後，HPM有了穩步的發展。HPM真正的大發展是在過去的十年，這在很大程度上應歸功於John。

　　在擔任『HPM國際研究群』主席期間，John組織了多次HPM國際會議，討論在不同背景下，如何使數學教師利用數學史工作者整理的歷史材料；數學課程的設計與歷史資料的關係等等。會議報告的論文均由他與其他合作者編輯出版。這些文集的出版不僅為HPM的發展提供了指導，並且為它的進一步發展提供了理論基礎。為適應HPM的需要，John寫了大量的文章，并編輯一本數學史原始文獻選讀（見後附John Fauvel論著目錄）。

　　John一九四七年七月二十一日出生於英國蘇格蘭的Glasgow，一九七零年畢業於The University of Essex，獲數學學士學位；同年入The University of Warwick繼續深造，次年獲碩士學位，一九七五年博士學位。畢業後，John服務於英國The Open University at Milton Keynes，直至去世，歷任教員（Assistant Staff Tutor and Acting Staff Tutor,1975-1979）、講師（Lecturer, 1979-1992）、高級講師（Senior Lecturer, 1992-2001）。3

　　John英年早逝，不能為HPM作出更多的貢獻。但我們相信他幫助發展的HPM定會在全世界枝繁業茂，碩果累累。

注釋：

1. John Fauvel 論著目錄，論文16.

2. Smith, David E. History of Mathematics 2 vols. New York: Ginn and Company, 1923-24. Quoted in Dover 1958
 Edition, p.iii.

3 .Who’s Who in the World 12th edition, edited by Marquis Who’s Who, 1999.

 

附錄

John Fauvel 論著目錄

編著

        1.  Oxford Figures: 800  Years of the Mathematical Sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000 (edit with Raymond
     Flood and Robin Wilson).

        2.   History in Mathematics Education: the ICMI Study. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2000 (edit with Jan van Maanen).

       3.   Learn from the Masters!. Providence, Rhode Island: Mathematical Association of America, 1995 (edit with Frank Swetz et
    al.).

       4.  Möbius and His Band: Mathematics and Astronomy in Nineteenth-century Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press ,1993
   (edit with Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson.  The book was translated into German, 1994 and Japanese 1995).

       5.  A special issue on history in mathematics education for the For the Learning of Mathematics 11, no.2 (1991) (edit).

       6. History in the Mathematics Classroom: the IREM Papers. Leicester: The Mathematical Association, 1990 (edit).

       7.  Mathematics Through History: A Resource Guide.York: QED Books, 1990 (edit).

       8. Let Newton Be! : A New Perspective on His Life and Works. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988 (edit with Raymond
   Flood, Michael Shortland and Robin Wilson, paperback edition 1989). 

       9. The History of Mathematics: a Reader. New York: Macmillan, 1987 (edit with Jeremy Gray).

      10. Conceptions of Inquiry. London: Methuen, 1981 (author with Stuart Brown and Ruth Finnegan).

      11.  Darwin to Einstein: Historical Studies on Science and Belief. New York: Longmans, 1980 (edit with Colin Chant).

論文

      1.   “Multiculturalism in History: Voices in 19th Century Mathematics Education in East and West,” in the Proceedings of the
  HPM 2000 Conference History in Mathematics Education Challenges for a New Millennium: A Satellite Meeting of
  ICME-9, August 9-14, 2000, Taipei, eds. by Wann-Sheng Horng and Fou-Lai Lin, vol. II, pp. 113-118.

      2.  “History as a resource for the Mathematics Teacher,” International Schools Journal 20 (2000): 51-60.

      3.  “800 Years of Mathematical Traditions,” in John Fauvel, Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson (eds), Oxford Figures: 800
   Years of the Mathematical Sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, 1-27. 

       4.  “Renaissance Oxford,” in John Fauvel, Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson (eds), Oxford Figures: 800 Years of the
     Mathematical Sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, 40-61 (with Robert Goulding).

       5.  “Georgian Oxford,” in John Fauvel, Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson (eds), Oxford Figures: 800 Years of the
    Mathematical Sciences, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, 150-167.

       6.   “James Joseph Sylvester,” in John Fauvel, Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson (eds), Oxford Figures: 800 Years of the"
     Mathematical Sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, 218-239.

       7.     “John Wallis,” in John Fauvel, Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson (eds), Oxford Figures: 800 Years of the Mathematical
     Sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, 96-115 (with Raymond Flood).

       8.  “Newton’s Mathematical Language,” in R. H. Dalitz and M. Nauenberg (eds), Foundations of Newtonian Scholarship,
    World Scientific Publishing, 2000, 145-159.

       9.  “The Role of History Of Mathematics Within a University Mathematics Curriculum for the 21st Century, “ Teaching and
    Learning Undergraduate Mathematics 12 (2000): 7-11.

       10. “Mathematics Education,” in The History of Mathematics from Antiquity to the Present: a Selective Annotated
     Bibliography, ed. Joseph W. Dauben, revised version on CD-ROM, ed. Albert C. Lewis. Providence, Rhode Island: The
      American Mathematical Society 2000, 642-653.

       11.   “Algorithms in the Pre-calculus Classroom: Who Was Newton-Raphson?” Mathematics in School 27, no. 4 (1998): 45-47.

       12.  “The Role of History of Mathematics in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics: Discussion Document for an ICMI
      Study 1997-2000,” Bulletin of the International Commission on Mathematics Instruction 42 (1997), 9-16; and also in the
      Newsletter of the British Society for history of mathematics 33 (1997), 46-53 (with Jan van Maanen).

       13.  “James Joseph Sylvester: Poet,” De Morgan Association Newsletter 5 (1997): 5-7.

       14.  “Empowerment through Modelling: the Abolition of the Alave Trade”, in R. Calinger (ed), Vita Mathematica: Historical
     Research and Integration with Teaching. Washington: MAA 1996, 125-130.

       15.  “J. J. Sylvester and the Papers of ‘Old Father Harriot,’” The Harrioteer (Sept 1996): 2-5.

       16.  “Revisiting the History of Logarithms,” in Frank Swetz, John Fauvel, Otto Bekken, B. Johansson and Victor Katz, (eds),
       Learn from the Masters! Washington: MAA 1995, 39-48.

        17.  “The Mathematicians,” in Lit & Phil Bicentenary Lectures 1993. Newcastle upon Tyne: Literary and Philosophical
       Society, 1994, 163-179.

        18.  “The Lull before the Storm: Combinatorics and Religion in the Renaissance,” Bulletin of the Institute of Combinatorics
      and its Applications 11 (1994): 49-58 (with Robin J. Wilson).

         19.  “Women and Mathematics” and “Mathematics and Poetry,” both in Ivor Grattan-Guinness (ed), Companion
       Encyclopedia of the History and Philosophy of the Mathematical Sciences. New York: Routledge 1994, 1526-1532
        and 1644-1649.

         20.  “A Saxon Mathematician,” in John Fauvel, Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson (eds), Möbius and His Band: Mathematics
       and Astronomy in Nineteenth-Century Germany, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993, 1-19.

         21. “Newton and Mathematical Language,” Lenguajes Naturales y Lenguajes Formales 8 (1992): 95-104.

         22.  “Tone and the Teacher: Instruction and Complicity in Mathematics Textbooks,” D. Pimm and E. Love (ed), The Teaching
       and Learning of School Mathematics, Hodder & Stoughton, 1991, 111-121.

         23.  “Using History in Mathematics Education,” For the Learning of Mathematics 11, no.2 (1991): 3-6.

         24.  “African Slave and Calculating Prodigy: Bicentenary of the Death of Thomas Fuller,” Historia Mathematica 17 (1990):
       141-151 (with Paulus Gerdes).

         25.  “Platonic Rhetoric in Distance Learning: How Robert Record Taught the Home Learner,” For the Learning of
       Mathematics 9, no.1 (1989): 2-6.

         26.  “Cartesian and Euclidean Rhetoric,” For the Learning of Mathematics 8, no. 1 (1988): 25-29.