On 25/09/2019 3:11 pm, David wrote: >> All mathematics involves intellectual models / mind-stuff. >> Mathematics is not, and not of, the real world. > Now that's a very brave assertion IMO. It can also be argued the reason why > mathematics allows us to model the real-world so successfully is that it's a > generalisation derived from the world we see around us. That's why the > number "zero" was late to be recognised, for example.
It may be brave, but IMO Roger's assertion is totally justifiable. As you state, mathematics is a language, a model, of the real world. It may exist on its own in the real world (you can get a degree in the subject), but like any other language, its use is as a representation or reality, validated by experiment. And when you put numbers (data) in a model, it can become more than a generalisation, it can become highly specific - Apollo 11 on its journey to the moon and back. -- Regards brd Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia email: [email protected] _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
