This meme touches upon a critical and often overlooked aspect of the history of science and mathematics: the historical biases in attributing discoveries and naming conventions. The text reads: "People who name math laws and functions when a non-white discovers it:".
The image accompanying the text is of Tanjiro Kamado, a character from the popular anime Demon Slayer, displaying a look of profound surprise, discomfort, or perhaps even mild shock.
This expression perfectly conveys the implied reaction of the "people who name math laws and functions" when confronted with the fact that many fundamental mathematical and scientific principles, often attributed to European scholars, either had origins or significant contributions from non-European civilizations and individuals (e.g., from ancient India, the Middle East, China, Africa).
The humor in this meme is a form of social commentary. It highlights the Eurocentric bias that has historically dominated the narrative of scientific progress, leading to instances where discoveries by scholars from non-white backgrounds were either ignored, attributed to later European rediscoverers, or simply not given the same prominence in naming.
Examples include concepts like the decimal system, the concept of zero, algorithms (named after Al-Khwarizmi), and advancements in algebra and astronomy that originated in the Islamic Golden Age or ancient India, which were later "discovered" or formalized in Europe.
The meme subtly critiques this historical oversight and challenges the perceived "neutrality" of scientific naming. It encourages viewers to think about the fuller, more diverse history of intellectual achievement, prompting a moment of reflection through lighthearted, though pointed, humor.
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