Re: Platonism

From: Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz (spamtrap_at_library.lspace.org.invalid)
Date: 11/29/04 

Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2004 21:03:12 -0500

In <320e992a.0411261232.41252e2e@posting.google.com>, on 11/26/2004
   at 12:32 PM, examachine@gmail.com (Eray Ozkural exa) said:

>But unfortunately there can be cases in mathematics that are not even
>*indirectly* derived from observations, that are solely the result of
>thought experiments

Gedanken experiements are for Physics.

>and are indeed incompatible even with the basic features of our
>universe.

I assume that you have faith in that, because it is not the sort of
claim open to objective verification.

>I don't find this a desirable thing,

While many others say the same of Philosophy. The fact is that while
practical utility is not the motivation for Mathematics, the abstract
fields in Mathematics have proven to have immense practical value,
certainly more than Philosophy.

>I find these to be misleading thought experiments.

What thought experiments? An abstract theory is not a thought
experiment.

>I suggest we put them aside until we can find a use for them.

I suggest that you tend to your knitting and we'll tend to ours. 

-- 
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz, SysProg and JOAT  <http://patriot.net/~shmuel>
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