I wrote:
> > according to many philosophers of
math (according to JKS), math
> > exists outside of us whether we use
it or not.
> well, what does 'exist' mean? physical existence?
I'm no expert on this stuff, so I'm a bit over my head, but the way I understand it is as follows: the empirical world exists independent of our perception of it (as posited by "realists"). This reality is heterogeneous, complex, and messy. However, the different kinds of particles, fields, movements, etc. in this reality have certain shared (i.e., abstract) characteristics. Some or all of these shared characteristics can be stated in mathematical terms. So mathematics reflects the abstract side of reality.
example: there are a bunch of heterogeneous fruit (bananas, kiwis, tomatoes, etc.) They share characteristics such as mass, density, and volume (which of course differ in terms of magnitude). The relationship between mass, density, and volume can be stated in mathematical terms (which I guess would be m*d = v if these could be measured).
I believe this simple story is one involving materialist realism rather than idealist realism (Platonism).
Jim Devine
