Thursday, May 27, 2021
Diamond in a sewer
Every now and then a beautiful answer appears on Quora. Diamond in a sewage pit.
The question:
Are good mathematicians and scientists out there okay with the fact that there will always be logical answers that don't have accurate methods of proving these answers?
Most of the answers parrot the standard Big Science idiocy. PROOF IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. ALL THINKING STARTS BY PROVING A THEOREM.
Here's a truthful answer:
Most scientists have, quite literally, zero reason to care. Physics, chemistry and biology are not threatened by the challenges of proving statements about infinite domains using consistent, recursive axiom systems. Many mathematicians (good or bad) don’t care either, and those who do are perfectly okay with it. Failing to “be okay with it” is, in fact, one of the telltale signals of not being a mathematician.
Labels: Real World Math
¶ 11:08 PM
