On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 1:51 PM, meekerdb <meeke...@verizon.net> wrote:
> On 9/21/2011 9:20 AM, Jason Resch wrote: > >> The Mandelbrot set has a definition which we can use to explore it's >> properties. Would you say the set was non-existent before Mandelbrot found >> it? If we have to define something for it to exist, then what was this >> universe before there were conscious beings in it? >> > > "To exist" just means to occur in the ontology of some model. We have a > model of enumeration, which we call "the integers" and a model of combining > them, which we call "arithmetic". In this model prime numbers "exist" > because they satisfy the rules for the ontology. But this kind of "exist" > is quite different from the way my chair "exists" Until you find that the mathematical object which exists in some model happens to be the universe containing you and your chair. Jason -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
