Linked Questions

6 votes
2 answers
398 views

What is mathematics? [duplicate]

Is mathematical practice: an act of discovery of eternal objects and ideas independent of human existence; an intuition-free game in which symbols are manipulated according to a fixed sets of rules; ...
VividD's user avatar
  • 177
0 votes
1 answer
314 views

Is pure math invented or discovered? [duplicate]

I know that many people believe that math is discovered, but here I want to know if pure mathematics, in specific, is discovered or invented and why. There are definitely many arguments to both sides. ...
user13772496's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
218 views

What form of formalist am I? [duplicate]

I am an formalist in the sense that I think that mathematics is just manipulation of symbols. But I think that this manipulation is motivated by the phantasy of humans: mathematical objects are for me ...
asdf's user avatar
  • 35
1 vote
2 answers
176 views

Is Fourier transform a human made tool or an act of nature? [duplicate]

I am a PhD students in physics, and my father is a Math researcher. One time, I asked him "Doesn't the fact that we can use math to explain things that happen in front of us, tell us that math is ...
Joshhh's user avatar
  • 127
0 votes
0 answers
36 views

Was mathematics created by some being? [duplicate]

Was mathematics created by some being, like maybe God? I believe that mathematics is timeless and uncreated, but have any academic philosophers proposed that math was created by some being? By "...
user107952's user avatar
  • 6,424
47 votes
15 answers
18k views

Do numbers exist independently from observers?

Do numbers have an objective existence? If life had not evolved on planet earth would there be numbers or are numbers an invention of human minds? Are there any relevant works that discuss this? (I ...
leancz's user avatar
  • 789
34 votes
16 answers
66k views

Is there anything that is totally random?

When I say totally random, I mean absolutely random, not pseudorandom. If I want to say "totally random" numbers such as 1,26,17,4,1 and 27, although I see them to be totally random, they aren't. ...
Garmen1778's user avatar
22 votes
16 answers
20k views

Are numbers real?

I am confused as to what numbers are. Numbers are defined to be what they are, so numbers aren't real? But numbers are found in nature, right? So if we invented them, how can they be found in nature? ...
Wobblester's user avatar
25 votes
14 answers
5k views

Is mathematics founded on beliefs and assumptions?

Note: I originally posted the question in meta.math.stackexchange.com but I reckon this would suit a more philosophical audience so I am posting it here. Background: I am a 28 year old ...
user avatar
16 votes
11 answers
4k views

How fundamental is logic?

I had always perceived logic as something that exists outside mathematics, physics/the physical, human consciousness, and everything. So when someone in my class posed the question whether logic can ...
JorenHeit's user avatar
  • 261
9 votes
2 answers
4k views

What are the major criticisms of Alain Badiou's claim that mathematics is ontology?

Building on Was mathematics invented or discovered? I would like to know what the major criticisms are of Alain Badiou's claim that mathematics is "the very site of ontology" (in Being and Event.)
Joseph Weissman's user avatar
  • 9,580
2 votes
3 answers
5k views

Is Mathematics an art or a science? [duplicate]

Is Mathematics an art or a science? This is a deep question with which I have had many discussions with my friends and teachers.
user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
1k views

How do mathematical objects relate to the real world?

I am just going to give an example of what I mean using Skolem's Paradox. I DO NOT want to get into Skolem's Paradox itself or its "resolution." Skolem's showed that countability is relative in ...
pichael's user avatar
  • 308
3 votes
3 answers
1k views

What is a mathematical representation of the physical world?

Possible Duplicate: Was mathematics invented or discovered? To be more precise, does mathematics describe the physical world or does it describe a mental representation of the physical world? If ...
Gabriella's user avatar
  • 149
4 votes
4 answers
309 views

What is intuitionistic mathematics?

What is intuitionistic mathematics? What are its claims, and what are their justifications? 1a. Intuitionism as a philosophy. L. E. J. Brouwer is credited as the originator of intuitionistic ...
Julius Hamilton's user avatar

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