Abstract

This essay introduces the theory of styles of reasoning as an answer to the question how truth or factuality can be conceived within relativist epistemologies, that do not locate truth in a reality independent of humans. The relevance of this epistemological perspective is not only established philosophically, but also through an introductory address to the current issue of post-factualism. Thereby, it can be shown that post-factualism essentially rests on elaborated epistemological positions and needs to be faced with elaborated epistemological answers. After the introduction of styles of reasoning as devices that produce truth or factuality, the essay highlights the manifold connections between theses styles and mathematics. Given these connections, it is proposed that mathematics education would serve as a natural place to introduce students to styles of reasoning. However, a concluding look at research in mathematics education against this backdrop suggests that our discipline is ill-prepared to understand the epistemic function of mathematics in constituting truth and to support its discussion in the mathematics classroom.