Sunday, 31 July 2016 22:41

About mathematics for those who do not understand it or do not like it

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Mathematics grew out of verbal language and it became something of a unique non-verbal language no other language can be compared to, a language which also describes reality, modeling it like any other language does. Verbal language has a strong influence on our thinking. Those who are not familiar with mathematics may think that our thinking is only based on verbality. For example, Heidegger wrote somewhere that "One only thinks in so far as they talk, and not the other way around as methaphysics still believes." By contrast, Roger Penrose who is a prominent mathematician and physicist and he is an excellent artist of verbal language as well, wrote in his book titled "The Emperor's New Mind" that if he has a strong focus on mathematics, and someone suddenly addresses him, it will take him several seconds until he will be able to speak. He cites the genetic Galton, who also complained that it takes a lot of his time searching the appropriate words or phrases, both in speech and writing. I liked Hadamard’ phrase as the best: "I insist that words are totally absent from my mind when I really think..." Hadamard also cites Schopenhauer: "thoughts die the moment they are embodied in words."

 

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