Bryn Athyn College Alumni Magazine Spring/Summer 2018 | Page 16

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Context
Connection
Neil Simonetti’s textbook, Introduction to Quantitative
Reasoning, encourages the pursuit of meaning in mathematics
and openly approaches some of life’s biggest questions.
C
“Context is the answer.” This is
one of the opening sentences of
the 2016 textbook, Introduction to
Quantitative Reasoning, written by
Neil Simonetti, Ph.D. (AA ’88).
Neil explains that because the
application or context of math-
ematical principles has been cut
out of curricula to make courses
more compact, so has the moti-
vation to learn the principles at
all. Years ago, he went in search
of a math textbook with an ap-
plied angle, and when he couldn’t
find a suitable one, he went about
writing his own.
A distinguishing feature
of Neil’s textbook is centered
around this idea of context. Not
only does he manage to restore
16 | S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 8
By Angella Irwin
the connection between math-
ematical learning and its poten-
tial uses, but he links wisdom
and insight from Swedenborg’s
Writings and from the Word to
some of the questions and puz-
zles that arise in the world of
mathematics.
On the first instructional
page of Introduction to Quantita-
tive Reasoning, Neil writes, “It’s
not surprising that a lack of ap-
plication would turn away all
but the most mathematically
devoted student. There is little
motivation to learn knowledge
that will not serve some use in
the future.” Following this state-
ment, he includes excerpts from
the Writings in its support:
“It is from use, by way of
use, and according to use, that
life is imparted by the Lord. And
that which is without use can
have no life in it, for that which
is without use is cast aside.” Ar-
cana Coelestia, no. 503.
“Love and wisdom without
use are merely abstract ways of
thinking, which also after a brief
stay in the mind, pass away like
winds. But these two are gath-
ered together in use, there be-
coming one, what is called real-
ity.” Married Love, no. 183.3.
Neil explains that math
curricula over the years have
been pared down to the essen-
tials, leaving the exercises as
mental puzzles and nothing