Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered?
In short: A notched bone, a Babylonian tablet, Gauss and Wigner each shed light on why philosophers still disagree over whether mathematics is discovered or invented.
A 1:28 short film in the series “From Fingers to Qubits”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Intuitionism in the Philosophy of Mathematics”; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Philosophy of Mathematics”; Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Platonism, Mathematical | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy”; Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Mathematical Nominalism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy”; Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Human Origins Program, “Ishango Bone”; Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, “Replica of a Babylonian Clay Tablet - Plimpton 322”; Columbia Magazine (Columbia University), “Babylon Revisited”; MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews, “Non-Euclidean geometry”; Southern Methodist University, Department of Physics (hosting a reprint of Eugene Wigner's 1960 article from Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics, John Wiley & Sons), “wigner.pdf”; Eugene Wigner, 'The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences' (Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics, John Wiley & Sons, 1960), in a copy hosted by the Garcia Lab, U…, “Wigner1959.pdf”; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “The Philosophy of Mathematical Practice”.
Sources used in this film
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Intuitionism in the Philosophy of Mathematics · View →
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Philosophy of Mathematics · View →
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Platonism, Mathematical | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy · View →
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Mathematical Nominalism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy · View →
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Human Origins Program — Ishango Bone · View →
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History — Replica of a Babylonian Clay Tablet - Plimpton 322 · View →
- Columbia Magazine (Columbia University) — Babylon Revisited · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews — Non-Euclidean geometry · View →
- Southern Methodist University, Department of Physics (hosting a reprint of Eugene Wigner's 1960 article from Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics, John Wiley & Sons) — wigner.pdf · View →
- Eugene Wigner, 'The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences' (Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics, John Wiley & Sons, 1960), in a copy hosted by the Garcia Lab, U… — Wigner1959.pdf · View →
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — The Philosophy of Mathematical Practice · View →
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Intuitionism in the Philosophy of Mathematics
- Also: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Philosophy of Mathematics
- Also: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Platonism, Mathematical | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Also: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Mathematical Nominalism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Also: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Human Origins Program: Ishango Bone
- Also: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History: Replica of a Babylonian Clay Tablet - Plimpton 322
- Also: Columbia Magazine (Columbia University): Babylon Revisited
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews: Non-Euclidean geometry
- Also: Southern Methodist University, Department of Physics (hosting a reprint of Eugene Wigner's 1960 article from Communicati: wigner.pdf
- Also: Eugene Wigner, 'The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences' (Communications in Pure and Appli: Wigner1959.pdf
- Also: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: The Philosophy of Mathematical Practice
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/is-mathematics-invented-or-discovered.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Science · Latest · A–Z · All topics
