68 Thoughts on the Nature of Mathematics

Math is a way of understanidng of the world. It is a tool of thought that is governed by both metaphysics and epistrmoology. It is not a "free creation of the mind." In this episode, I discuss some thoughts on the nature and philosophy of mathematics and how it really works, contra to what many today and through the ages have said. (Their practice of math, thank goodnes, has not been entirely consistent with their philosophy of it.) I owe all or most of this to Pat Corvini, who has done great work on the foundations of mathematics. Of course, any mistakes or misunderstandings here are my fault, not hers. I take responsibility for them. Notes.Math is important. It helps you live, survive, and thrive. It helps solve problems of survival: shelter, food, fun, etc.Salary. Budget it, i.e., measure it out to your values. How much is something worth to you. Savings. Interest income. Salary increases.How much gas cost how much and can get you how far in context of what budget and what values. How much paint to buy to cover which walls or ceilings, why and when and how. Or the equivalent for gardening, and lawn care, or driveway care, or roofing, etc.How to understand ideas and science about exercise, fitness, health, diet, drugs. Hobbies and work. Engineering. Nursing. Fighting. Photography. It is integral to how we as humans interact with the world.It is an important tool of thought used in most every field of thought: physics, photography, fitness, philosophy, chemistry, medicine, accounting, finance, economics, art, painting, sculpture.It is not merely in our heads. Set theory wrong. Kant wrong. Math is not “pure reasoning.” It is not deductive. It is not “purely in the mind.”It is a method of knowing and understanding the world. It has content and method.  It arises from facts of reality, nature, and experience: repetition, multiplicity, etc.Entities: first concepts of numberAdd, subtract, multiply, divideLater, get 0 and 1Fractions: counting partsAttributes: more abstract concepts of numberPossibility of continual division (sequence/series)The science of number: even, odd, primes, etc.Attributes: the science of measurementCounting numbers —> real numbersNeed concepts of method, such as rootsConcept of “negative” — reality comes first, knowledge second; we give and take things and move things around, then start to figure out how to conceptualize that and make it scientific; no one ever had some idea in their head first, then “deduced” that things could be moved around, ergo reality snapped into place. That’s absurd. More abstract: complex numbersRatioProportionFunctionsArea and volume as functionCoordinate system   ---->CalculusImage from  "Counting" on Wikipedia.Please consider liking us on your podcast app, and leaving a rational review.Email us at [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/Gold Academy: https://goldams.comTotal Human Fitness: https://total-human-fitness.com