IS MATHEMATICAL COMPETENCE INNATE

Despite a vast philosophical literature on the epistemology of mathema tics and much speculation about how, in principle, knowledge of this d omain is possible, little attention has been paid to the psychological findings and theories concerning the acquisition, comprehension and u se of mathematical knowledge. This contrasts sharply with recent philo sophical work on language where comparable issues and problems arise. One topic that is the center of debate in the study of mathematical co gnition is the question of innateness. This paper critically examines the controversy.