Re: Out-of-print math books: An Update

Bill Dubuque <wgd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:y8zy70y26a3.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:


Nowhere did I say anything like "everything is irrelevant
except utility".

When you called everyone's legitimate arguments not
"serious." You asked why one would prefer paper media.
Several people gave you real answers. You pooh-pooh them,
judging them by your (scary) standards instead of
considering them with a sensibly opened mind. You have
an "external" philosophy and can't imagine someone doing
something for an "internal" purpose. Therefore, anything
that argues an "internal" advantage is automatically
not serious.



But I did find it ironic that the guy touting utility
falls back on the "beauty of mathematics" for one of
his arguments.

There's nothing at all ironic about valuing the beauty
of abstract mathematical objects more highly than that
of their concrete physical representations.

Since you studiously try not to get the point, I don't
know why I'd bother, but: It's not the concrete physical
representations that "beautiful", but rather the path
which they force you on. I would have thought the hiking
analogy made this clear. So we have: 1. The guy who
accused me of putting words in his mouth when I didn't
is putting words in my mouth. 2. The guy who said
"serious" several times is the one who won't take anything
seriously. 3. The guy who touts the beauty of math
does all he can to get a machine to do the math for him.

Go figure.

B.

--
Cheerfully resisting change since 1959.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Whos better Tom Poore, or this kid?
    ... "Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics." ... Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas. ... "To those who do not know mathematics it is difficult to get across a real feeling as to the beauty, the deepest beauty, of nature ... ... Why would the study of math and science hurt the artist? ...
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  • Re: To paraphrase the late Robert Goulet.....
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  • Re: 100 years and still no mathematical beauty
    ... mathematical beauty whatsoever ... I also agree with you that the math they use has no beauty at all. ... They would also use the very ugly math I just posted and of course ... does perfectally well for the collision time. ...
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  • Re: Out-of-print math books: An Update
    ... The only thing that's "silly" here is your rejection of math ... I've been programming serious mathematics since the late 70's, ... Have you ever really experienced the beauty of math? ... than simply staring at your math books lined up on a shelf. ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: To paraphrase the late Robert Goulet.....
    ... his mouth with "If ever I would leave you," our jaws dropped at the ... beauty of the voice..he never equalled that level..but he was surely a ... thanks for sharing that crap ...
    (rec.music.opera)