Was mathematics discovered or invented?
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27 June 2017, 10:39 AM
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27 June 2017, 12:16 PM
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27 June 2017, 12:26 PM
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Nature only became full of mathematical structures when man kind invented the concept of maths. Previous to that point they were all just arrangenembts of matter. Unless of course you believe in a god and that he chose to construct things using that ratio because he deemed it to be asthetically pleasing...
27 June 2017, 12:29 PM
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27 June 2017, 01:21 PM
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In the same way that the scientific principle had to be invented before scientific discoveries could be made.
27 June 2017, 02:00 PM
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This. Numbers (including zero), addition, subtraction, multiplication etc (and a way of recording them) had to be invented before all the mathematical equations and laws in nature could be discovered.
In the same way that the scientific principle had to be invented before scientific discoveries could be made.
In the same way that the scientific principle had to be invented before scientific discoveries could be made.
TBH I am surprised it is even a question.....
27 June 2017, 02:17 PM
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This. Numbers (including zero), addition, subtraction, multiplication etc (and a way of recording them) had to be invented before all the mathematical equations and laws in nature could be discovered.
In the same way that the scientific principle had to be invented before scientific discoveries could be made.
In the same way that the scientific principle had to be invented before scientific discoveries could be made.
Adding up was not invented though (anymore than gravity was invented)
27 June 2017, 02:53 PM
#23
Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division are all methods constructed by humans for describing patterns we discover in the universe. There maybe beings in another galaxy that have constructed different methods for describing the same patterns as us. So whilst the patterns and nature are the same throughout the universe, it requires a sentient mind to invent methods to describe them.
27 June 2017, 02:58 PM
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Gravity was neither invented or discovered, it's merely the name given to a mathematical description of the movements of celestial bodies, the tides, the precession of the equinoxes, and other phenomena.
Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division are all methods constructed by humans for describing patterns we discover in the universe. There maybe beings in another galaxy that have constructed different methods for describing the same patterns as us. So whilst the patterns and nature are the same throughout the universe, it requires a sentient mind to invent methods to describe them.
Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division are all methods constructed by humans for describing patterns we discover in the universe. There maybe beings in another galaxy that have constructed different methods for describing the same patterns as us. So whilst the patterns and nature are the same throughout the universe, it requires a sentient mind to invent methods to describe them.
So cells didn't divide until we invented division?
I'm sorry but I think we're probably not going to agree here
27 June 2017, 03:13 PM
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27 June 2017, 03:19 PM
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27 June 2017, 03:21 PM
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Cells didn’t “divide” until we had invented the concept of division. Sure they did something; first there was 1 cell, now there are 2. So is that “addition”? No, it’s something else.
Division needed to be invented as a concept before we could describe what the cells were doing. It’s not the action of division but the mathematical concept of division that was invented. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to describe what we observed. Without inventing the scientific principle for example, we wouldn’t be able to describe the world around us. It would still exist but we’d be describing it as “Gods” or “Magic” – both invented human constructs.
The basic mathematical constructs of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication & division had to be invented to observe & describe our world, before discoveries using those principles could be made. Had we invented different forms of observations & descriptions, then our discoveries would be different, even if the patterns in nature remained the same.
Division needed to be invented as a concept before we could describe what the cells were doing. It’s not the action of division but the mathematical concept of division that was invented. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to describe what we observed. Without inventing the scientific principle for example, we wouldn’t be able to describe the world around us. It would still exist but we’d be describing it as “Gods” or “Magic” – both invented human constructs.
The basic mathematical constructs of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication & division had to be invented to observe & describe our world, before discoveries using those principles could be made. Had we invented different forms of observations & descriptions, then our discoveries would be different, even if the patterns in nature remained the same.
27 June 2017, 03:30 PM
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Cells didn’t “divide” until we had invented the concept of division. Sure they did something; first there was 1 cell, now there are 2. So is that “addition”? No, it’s something else.
Division needed to be invented as a concept before we could describe what the cells were doing. It’s not the action of division but the mathematical concept of division that was invented. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to describe what we observed. Without inventing the scientific principle for example, we wouldn’t be able to describe the world around us. It would still exist but we’d be describing it as “Gods” or “Magic” – both invented human constructs.
The basic mathematical constructs of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication & division had to be invented to observe & describe our world, before discoveries using those principles could be made. Had we invented different forms of observations & descriptions, then our discoveries would be different, even if the patterns in nature remained the same.
Division needed to be invented as a concept before we could describe what the cells were doing. It’s not the action of division but the mathematical concept of division that was invented. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to describe what we observed. Without inventing the scientific principle for example, we wouldn’t be able to describe the world around us. It would still exist but we’d be describing it as “Gods” or “Magic” – both invented human constructs.
The basic mathematical constructs of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication & division had to be invented to observe & describe our world, before discoveries using those principles could be made. Had we invented different forms of observations & descriptions, then our discoveries would be different, even if the patterns in nature remained the same.
We invented the name for them - yes I agree, but that's it.
Did we invent Physics and Chemistry too? Maybe colours and the weather?
