Refutation of the \"Language-Only\" Interpretation of Math (The limitations of science)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Thursday, March 04, 2010, 22:23 (5376 days ago) @ dhw

dhw,-The relationship between physics and math is heavily convoluted, and indeed is the course of study for an entire branch of mathematical philosophy. -Descriptive mathematics is the kind of thing you're talking about, the differences between tons for example, is an example of a declared unit of measurement, but doesn't really say anything about numbers--its a use of numbers. Lets go back a few thousand years. -Prior to writing a symbol that represents the number "2," early man had a concept of "twoness," where you could put two rocks, two dogs, two people, and say two apples next to each other and were able to reason that all these different objects had a commonality--the aforementioned property of "twoness." So, for certain, mathematics had its birth in the very real world, by observation of a natural phenomenon--"twoness." -So in that light, I would ask you if you think numbers are real--like the sun, or are they purely imaginary?

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\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"