雷蒙德•路易斯•怀尔德是美国著名拓扑学家，从20世纪50年代起长达三十年的时间里，他一直致力于把数学描绘成一个“不断进化的文化体系”。《数学概念的进化》是他第一本数学哲学著作，集中体现了他的数学文化哲学思想。对美国数学界有重要的影响，被数学家们誉为“数学哲学人文主义转向”的标志，导致“民俗（民族）数学”研究的诞生，对数学教育的人文主义复兴和数学文化研究兴起起到积极的促进作用。鉴于怀尔德的数学文化哲学理论对数学、数学史和数学文化研究的重要影响，将怀尔德的《数学概念的进化》一书翻译成中文出版非常必要，可作为我国数学教育研究者的学术参考书和一线中小学数学教师的教学参考书，对于提高广大社会公众、大中小学生对数学文化的了解，传播正确的数学文化价值观念具有重要的意义。

Raymond Louis Wilder is a famous topologist in American. From 1950s to 1980s thirty years before his death, he had been committed to describe mathematics as a constantly evolving cultural system. As the first mathematics philosophy book of his life, “Evolution of Mathematical Concepts” embodies his ideas of mathematical culture and philosophy. The book had important implications for the American mathematical community, which was marked by mathematicians as "the diversion to humanism of mathematical philosophy", caused the birth of the study of "Ethnomathematics", and played a positive role in the revival of humanism and the rise of mathematical culture research in mathematics education. In view of the important influence of Wilder's mathematical cultural theory on the study of mathematics, history of mathematics and mathematical culture, it is very necessary to translate Wilder's “Evolution of Mathematical Concepts” into Chinese, it can serve as an academic reference book for mathematics education research scholar and a teaching reference book for mathematics teachers in primary and middle schools in China, it is of great significance to improve the understanding of mathematics culture among the majority of the public, university and primary or middle school students, and spread the correct mathematical cultural values.