Abstract

This chapter provides an insight into the seminal epistemological basis of mathematics as a purist academic discipline and revisits the capacity that this has provided man in being able to not only illuminate boundaries of thinking but also to realise the limitations of hypotheses, thus extending man’s reach to know more. By revealing the interlinked concepts of number and design, the chapter engages with the concept of universality in thinking, which serves to introduce the concept of design as an academic discipline, largely dependent on mathematical principles for a sense of legitimacy in both knowledge construction and articulation. The Fibonnaci Principle is also used to illustrate key aspects articulated through the chapter. In exploring the relationship between abstract and visual ways of knowing, this essay provides the reader with an opportunity to learn more of how mathematics provides a unique opportunity to reconnect the epistemic thinking and applied praxis that underpins knowledge construction in reality.