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Decshak

Believe me, I am not a super-sensitive soul, and, like your husband, am a student of Mathematics, including the Calculus. I recognize your sincerety and honesty quite easily and am in no way offended at all. My contention is only that I do not need to "be awakened to the artificial nature of the language of Mathematics." If there are, indeed, other human-like creatures in our universe, they, too, using the same Mathematics already in place and pre-existing, would have arrived at identical results of such things as the dimensions and distances of astral bodies as we, ourselves, would. Granted, our Mathematic language would most probably be different, having different symbols and number bases, but the results would be the same. The Mathematics, still, were already there, and we did not invent that; we only discovered it. The language, itself, which I never addressed at all in my post, was, indeed, invented by us, and that is all.

As to the "cute, sarcastic, and superior" commenter of which you speak, it is being too kind and indulgent to dismiss his behavior so naively, and I will not do that. I know him far too well for that. He intended to be precisely as he appeared to be, and he deserved to be reprimanded for that.

Thank you so much for your comment! I respect you immensively for your own sensitivity and courtesy.

Have a great day!

posted by GEPRUITT on March 9, 2007 at 11:50 PM | link to this | reply

The proportions of the universe were already there but the language of

mathematics that we use to describe those proportions had to be invented. Those who have studied the history of mathematics and/or philosophy know this to be a fact because they do not confuse WHAT is being described with HOW it is being described, as you have done. And we do not comment on your lack of discrimination in order to harm you or to make you feel that we are somehow superior, as you have assumed, but to try to get you to see our points of view on the matter. I realize that it FEELS rude when someone says "Nonsense!" but he is trying to wake you up to the artificial nature of mathematics. My husband was a math professor and I realized, as he studied and did "research" in C-star algebras that he was exploring the possibilities of how the various elements of that language could be fruitfully applied to new phenomena. Mathematics is a kind of "group-think" that grows over time....

posted by WindTapper on March 9, 2007 at 9:26 PM | link to this | reply

1TimeSoldier!

Thanks for being such a source of encouragement to me!! I NEED that! Especially around here!! Stay with me!

posted by GEPRUITT on March 9, 2007 at 8:37 AM | link to this | reply

one finger..

Rejoice in offending people - like drinking wine, or making love - it's one of life's great pleasures - no idea what the math means, but again, rejoice in your superior mathematical intellect!