3 ms·

That is amazing. Do we understand why aesthetics and intuition are so effective here? Or actually if that's even trueish in the general case?

by wilg 8y ago

_bxg1 8y ago
It's a staple of higher-math and theoretical physics. I'm not the first one to note how eerie it all is: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19588971 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19588971
fj39dkf 8y ago
It is pretty weird. I don't think there's a simple, empirical answer available. But if you would like to read more about incredible mathematical intuition and elegance, give the book Love and Math a read.
umanwizard 8y ago
The human brain is an incredibly powerful unconscious pattern recognition device. The conscious mind is unaware of most of this processing. For chess positions where there is no tactic that gives a clear advantage, the best move is determined by subtle positional/strategic considerations. It's interesting that often, top players will all agree what the best move is, but be incapable of explaining why except in very vague terms. It just "feels right". I haven't read about computer chess in a while so I'm not sure if this is still the case, but at least for several years after it became impossible for a human to beat a computer, a human+computer team was still much stronger than a computer alone, because of this intuitive strategic/positional ability that computers lack.
- _bxg1 8y ago
  The marvel isn't that we're good at picking up on patterns, it's that nature itself is so patterned to begin with.
  - umanwizard 8y ago
    Both are incredible! I guess to explain my comment a bit further: I conjecture (as a pure layman) that a similar process is going on when a chess grandmaster says "I played Nf7 because it looked natural" as when a mathematician says "I expect this statement to be true for aesthetic/intuitive/moral reasons". I think in this case the mathematician's unconscious mind has correctly identified some pattern that his or her conscious mind is unable to access. Just like I can't really explain why I know my dad's face is his, and not that of some other man of similar race, age, and build.

That is amazing. Do we understand why aesthetics and intuition are so effective here? Or actually if that's even trueish in the general case?

by wilg 8y ago

That is amazing. Do we understand why aesthetics and intuition are so effective here? Or actually if that's even trueish in the general case?

_bxg1 8y ago

It's a staple of higher-math and theoretical physics. I'm not the first one to note how eerie it all is: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19588971 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19588971

fj39dkf 8y ago

It is pretty weird. I don't think there's a simple, empirical answer available. But if you would like to read more about incredible mathematical intuition and elegance, give the book Love and Math a read.

umanwizard 8y ago

The human brain is an incredibly powerful unconscious pattern recognition device. The conscious mind is unaware of most of this processing. For chess positions where there is no tactic that gives a clear advantage, the best move is determined by subtle positional/strategic considerations. It's interesting that often, top players will all agree what the best move is, but be incapable of explaining why except in very vague terms. It just "feels right". I haven't read about computer chess in a while so I'm not sure if this is still the case, but at least for several years after it became impossible for a human to beat a computer, a human+computer team was still much stronger than a computer alone, because of this intuitive strategic/positional ability that computers lack.

_bxg1 8y ago
The marvel isn't that we're good at picking up on patterns, it's that nature itself is so patterned to begin with.
- umanwizard 8y ago
  Both are incredible! I guess to explain my comment a bit further: I conjecture (as a pure layman) that a similar process is going on when a chess grandmaster says "I played Nf7 because it looked natural" as when a mathematician says "I expect this statement to be true for aesthetic/intuitive/moral reasons". I think in this case the mathematician's unconscious mind has correctly identified some pattern that his or her conscious mind is unable to access. Just like I can't really explain why I know my dad's face is his, and not that of some other man of similar race, age, and build.