53 points

Alternatively, all of nature can be explained by mathematics, rather then being based on it.

permalink
report
reply
4 points

One, Mathematics is the language of nature. Two, Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers. Three: If you graph the numbers of any system, patterns emerge. Therefore, there are patterns everywhere in nature.

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

Like the golden ratio and whatnot

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

The golden ratio is a transcendental number, but it is the “least transcendental” of the transcendental numbers.

permalink
report
parent
reply

Then why I, as part of nature, is dumb as shit in math? Checkmate matheists

permalink
report
parent
reply
7 points

I would say there is no language of nature; there are things that happen, and we can approximate what happens using math. Math can be used to describe basically anything, so the fact that we can understand these things through numbers is not extraordinary.

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

I would say all language are natural. Even mathematics.

permalink
report
parent
reply
16 points

mathematics is a human language/system.

nature just follows the laws and quirks this universe has. the plants, animals and subatomic particles will keep doing the same, regardless if we have a tool or theory that can describe what they’re doing.

sure, there are patterns everywhere in nature, but i would not go as far as to say that that makes mathematics a language of nature.

permalink
report
parent
reply
5 points
*

I’m surprised nobody has mentioned that this a quote from the movie Pi.

Here’s a link to the trailer. It has the quote in it. https://youtu.be/r0SC582sJvE

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

My bad, had to mention it was a quote, I kinda wanted people to search and discover that gem of a movie for themselves

permalink
report
parent
reply
0 points

So, what about the stock market? The universe of numbers that represents the global economy. Millions of hands at work, billions of minds.

Great movie.

permalink
report
parent
reply
0 points

Economics is not math, its a religion.

permalink
report
parent
reply
13 points

Eh, no. Mathematics is an hallucination of ours we are trying to desperately map onto reality. I say this as a mathematician. When you look out into our reality, you know what we see? A curved universe. There is nothing in our reality that is truely STRAIGHT.

YET, we creatures came up with such an natural thing as a straight line. Straight lines are a uniquely human hallucination. Its the logic we use to make sense of the world, but its a Rorschach test of our own making. You are attaching meaning to it because thats what our brains do. generate meaning out of chaos.

I need to look no further than pi, which is a number that represents our feeble attempts to push the round universe into our square heads. Its trying to represent the curved universe as a straight line (and visavers) - and reality said : LOL, NOPE!! YOU get a number that is more illusive than the irrationals. A never ending non patterned number.

All of nature is not based on mathematics. Mathematics is the language we use to describe nature. Thats like saying the Grand Canyon is BASED on book describing the Grand Canyon.

1.) No its not. Its our language, not nature’s.

2.) To a degree, yes. But thats because our brains are pattern seeking and pattern generating machines - not because nature follows a system WE made up.

3.) Did I mention Pi yet

Here

https://i.imgur.com/a5ueCi5.jpg

THIS is a graph of a discovery that I made in number theory. Does it look like it has a pattern to you? I think this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, because IT MAKES NO SENSE. which means, we still have a lot to discover and learn

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

Hey Quazar,

Great point and post. Any math + philosophy reddits you know of on Lemme?

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

Such a fascinating read, definitely changed my perception about mathematics and the world, I’m probably going to remember your view about the world time by time in the future. What makes your comment all the more interesting is that what I wrote was a quote from the movie “pi” which is about a mathematician. You’ve probably watched it but if you haven’t I really think you should check it out.

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

draws a straight line

“Fuck you, God”

permalink
report
parent
reply
0 points

“Eh, no”. There are tons of actual patterns in mathematics, we didn’t invent the “laws of physics” we just slapped a framework on top for better understanding. Math isn’t a human invention, it’s our interpretation of how things work, and at the base of it all there are laws that govern “how things work” (even if we haven’t fully discovered all of them), it isn’t just randomness that we’re trying to apply patterns to.

Using your example of pi, calling it “chaos” is disingenuous, because it’s a single constant that has a massive number of applications. That’s not random or chaotic at all.

permalink
report
parent
reply
-1 points

Is this a π reference? awesome movie

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Literally everything ever has patterns that emerge as soon as you start looking for them. Math is only the “language of nature” in that the entire idea behind mathematics is that is must be consistent, otherwise it’s just useless.

Basically, math deroved from the universe (specifically our study of it), and not the other way around.

permalink
report
parent
reply
16 points

Yeah I was gonna say, mathematics is the human interpretation of naturally occurring proportions

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

Oh no they are going to shut us down if we figure it out

permalink
report
reply
11 points

Three tress just sitting there in someone’s yard

HOLY SHIT, Look at that, there’s exactly three trees, its like it’s reality is based on math or something :O

permalink
report
reply
4 points

Our “universe” simultaneously is and is not a simulation because reality is relative to the seer. It’s a fun thing to think about but pointless due to our limited understanding on what would make one universe ‘real’ and another a ‘simulation’, since really they’re one and the same, just at different scales. It is interesting to think about though whether or not our universe has a parent universe which it exists inside of. And if so how deep that nesting goes. If our universe isn’t contwined inside something else, does that mean our universe simply is everything? No way to really know.

permalink
report
reply
2 points

Right. By whatever logic we deduce that our universe is simulated, it would be just as likely that our simulators are also simulated. And from there you get simulations on to infinity and a simulation becomes as real as reality gets.

permalink
report
parent
reply
0 points

Thank you you actually understand

permalink
report
parent
reply
0 points

Another line of the nihilist cosmic tiger

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

to quote XKCD, a rock is an analog computer that generates a rock

permalink
report
parent
reply
7 points

Well, if we are in a simulation, there is very likely an admin ;)

permalink
report
reply
13 points
*

You have been permabanned from UNIVERSE v.0.9.5 for Harrassment.

This action was automatically completed by Automoderator. To appeal your ban, please fill out this form.

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Dang that form is amazing

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

Best form there is!

permalink
report
parent
reply

Memes

!memes@lemmy.ml

Create post

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

Community stats

  • 12K

    Monthly active users

  • 13K

    Posts

  • 286K

    Comments