Re: Am I a crank?

In article <tMfLg.4871$9c3.4603@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Aatu Koskensilta <aatu.koskensilta@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
*** T. Winter wrote:
Mathematicians do not claim axioms to be either true or false.

So you would balk at asserting that it's true that whatever mathematical
property P is we have that

if P(0) and for every natural n, P(n) implies P(n+1), then for every
natural n, P(n)

is true, for example?

Only if you accept the axiom of induction. If you do not accept that axiom
it is probably false. There is no *a priori* reason to either accept or
reject it.
--
*** t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj amsterdam, nederland, +31205924131
home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn amsterdam, nederland; http://www.cwi.nl/~***/
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