Religion
In reply to the discussion: Why Science Can’t Replace Religion [View all]intaglio
(8,170 posts)My view? Essentially mathematics is discovered, but not because it exists as a platonic ideal. Relationships are always discovered and mathematics deals with relationships. Troll maths, in the Discworld novels is about such relationships even though it is described as just being "one, two, many, lots,". My belief is that at first math started from conversations like;
"Ugg will give you lots of grains but you need only give me many arrowheads".
"That is not lots of grains that is only many grains, I will give Ugg less lots arrowheads,"
You can hear the beginnings in songs like Jake Thackray's Molly Metcalfe (video below)
Eventually the rules and symbols governing the relationships began to be played with independent of the actual reality of the relationships.
If you have read Roger Penrose's "The Emperor's New Mind" you will know he regards math as having some kind of platonic reality. I hesitate to disagree with him - but I do
Video "Old Molly Metcalfe"
Edit history
![](du4img/smicon-reply-new.gif)