Mind and Mathematics in an Event-Centered Approach

The mind isn’t reducible to sensorimotor experiences, and neither is mathematics. In this chapter, I argue that sign-based processes are the foundations of both mind and mathematics and explain this idea through the concept of the variable, which allows us to imagine and explore multiple possibilities beyond the concrete. The mind is presented through an event-centered approach, according to which events, interactions, and transformations should be the focus of our analysis. This thesis is illustrated by word meanings and multiplication. The chapter also discusses linear transformations, liquid cats, and the reasons why narrow-minded educators may be dissatisfied with genies.