Mathematical Education and Foucault's Human Sciences

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the contributions of Michel Foucault's thought to Mathematics Education, especially from the work The Order of Things. The study presents an overview of the main moments of Foucault's thought — archaeological, genealogical and ethical — highlighting how the modern subject emerges in the context of the Human Sciences. It also brings knowledge related to the triple relationship between Biology, Economics and Philology, making a connection of the three with Mathematics. Methodologically, this is a qualitative study of theoretical-philosophical nature, based on the archaeological and genealogical analysis of Foucault's discourse, being a bibliographical research. The results show that mathematical teaching cannot be understood only as a technical or neutral practice, but as part of a discursive system that forms and is formed by historically situated subjects. It is concluded that Mathematics, when analyzed from the perspective of the Human Sciences, reveals itself as a cultural and historical practice, capable of integrating knowledge and contributing to the constitution of critical and autonomous subjects. The Foucaultian perspective thus offers powerful analytical tools for rethinking educational practices and opening up space for more meaningful mathematical teaching that is connected to the social realities of learners.