Towards a Critical Pragmatic Philosophy of Sustainable Mathematics Education

Abstract

This paper proposes critical pragmatism as a philosophy of sustainable mathematics education to bridge the gap between critical theory and the existing patchwork implementations. Combining existential sustainability as a holistic concept with pragmatic frameworks from the ethics in mathematics education literature creates a foundation enabling critical reflection and pragmatic implementation. We outline how their synthesis naturally leads to a three-stage implementation strategy: cultivating an ethical classroom culture, engaging with ethnomathematics, and tackling complex sustainability problems. Our critical pragmatic approach attempts to build a new philosophical perspective to equip teachers and students with the mathematical competencies, critical perspectives, and ethical grounding necessary to navigate and contribute to a sustainable future and to provide new analytic pathways.