To: Doctor Stochastic
Many working mathematicians have the notion that mathematics is invented not discovered.I'm glad to hear that because I've suspected that myself. To believe this, however, you have to believe that some constraint is selecting useful inventions. I don't know how to conceptualize the selector for mathematical ideas, but I suspect it has something to do with usefulness.
To: js1138
Usefulness, beauty, consistency, amusement.
Of course, one tries to invent things that "agree" with the "real" world; at least in doing applied mathematics.
I'm in the "Math is Invented" camp. Mostly because, doing math seems more like invention than discovery to me.
4,347 posted on
01/10/2003 8:32:03 AM PST by
Doctor Stochastic
(The fashion wears out more apparel than the man.)
To: js1138
I'm glad to hear that because I've suspected that myself. To believe this, however, you have to believe that some constraint is selecting useful inventions. I don't know how to conceptualize the selector for mathematical ideas, but I suspect it has something to do with usefulness. Somehow I think the opposite -- that mathematics is discovered, not invented. I think it has something to do, not with utility, but with the search for Truth.
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