Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Master_Shake · 10-19-2004, 05:16 AM

I think that asking if 3+2 could = 6 if someone else invented math misses the point. In another version of such math there might not be a 3 or a 2. Mathematics is just our way of dealing with abstractions or forms from the real things that our perceptions tell us exist.

For example, if you were to count all the books in a library you might come to the conclusion that there were 6,232 books in the library. But that's only because you identify each separate book as belonging to the general abstract group of "books."

What if you were able to perceive each individual book for what it was? Then you would have "The Hardy Boys", "A Brief History of Time", and "The Coming of Conan" etc... You would not have to lump all of these distinct objects into the group "books" and then deal with them in a like manner. Numbers of things, and the consequent addition or subtraction, would be meaningless because every individual thing would be unique.

10-19-2004, 05:16 AM	#9 (permalink)
Master_Shake Addict Location: Pennsylvania, USA	I think that asking if 3+2 could = 6 if someone else invented math misses the point. In another version of such math there might not be a 3 or a 2. Mathematics is just our way of dealing with abstractions or forms from the real things that our perceptions tell us exist. For example, if you were to count all the books in a library you might come to the conclusion that there were 6,232 books in the library. But that's only because you identify each separate book as belonging to the general abstract group of "books." What if you were able to perceive each individual book for what it was? Then you would have "The Hardy Boys", "A Brief History of Time", and "The Coming of Conan" etc... You would not have to lump all of these distinct objects into the group "books" and then deal with them in a like manner. Numbers of things, and the consequent addition or subtraction, would be meaningless because every individual thing would be unique. __________________ ------------- You know something, I don't think the sun even... exists... in this place. 'Cause I've been up for hours, and hours, and hours, and the night never ends here.