Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered?
David Edwards
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Every time I’ve made the following statement to mathematicians, they’ve
responded with a broad grin and total agreement!
Even if God hadn’t created the Universe, still there would be an infinite number
of primes.
The philosophical position that mathematics is discovered is called Platonism. You
might find it interesting that Platonism Is the Law of the Land!: it is a wellestablished principle of our legal tradition that mathematical formulas are not
patentable subject matter. If one looks at the history of mathematics, one sees a
fusion of both positions; one sees (Science in Action)
Mathematics already done vs. Mathematics in action
Just think of the irrational and imaginary numbers. Mathematicians are now
completely comfortable with them and view them as discoveries. But their names
clearly suggest the opposite was initially true!