Holy cow Glen, that's GREAT, thanks. Maybe we should start a tradition of summarizing like this when threads get rather long. Then Nick can put them into the wiki?
-- Owen On Jul 17, 2008, at 10:08 AM, glen e. p. ropella wrote: > > I'll attempt to identify the core of the recent Mathematics and XYZ > thread, going back to Nick's original kernel: > > Nicholas Thompson wrote: >> All, One of the running arguments I have with one of my favorite >> colleagues here in Santa Fe is about whether Mathematics is (or >> isn't) different from all other intellectual enterprises, such as >> psychology or philosophy. in that, unlike them, mathematics "adds >> up," in the long run. Contrary to psychologists and philosophers like >> me, who are besotted with ephemeral traditions and ideologies, and >> keep changing the rules of the game, mathematicians have built a >> structure that is not subject to vicissitudes and whims of >> intellectual history. (I hope I have represented this argument >> fairly.) Although I have tried to give him as little comfort as >> possible, I confess that I have been impressed more and more by this >> argument as I continue to read accessible works on the history of >> mathematics. > > The core of the question came up several times. In essence, it's > about > whether or not progress (or accumulation) is illusory or objectively > real, and whether math exhibits progress more obviously than other > domains. > > We fleshed out the question by claiming and counter-claiming about > whether math is a purely social construct or whether it is (and how it > might be) hooked directly to reality, even to the extent that reality > may be mathematical. > > So, there we are. Was anything achieved in this meandering thread? > Most certainly. Are the achievements quantifiable? Most definitely > not. > > In any case, I feel the pressure to shut up for awhile. [grin] So, I > will comply. > > -- > glen e. p. ropella, 971-219-3846, http://tempusdictum.com > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org