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True. Yet humans are embodied beings in a physical world. This affects their mathematical taste in at least two ways. Humans will prefer axiomatic systems / pro
by alquemist 6y ago
True. Yet humans are embodied beings in a physical world. This affects their mathematical taste in at least two ways. Humans will prefer axiomatic systems / problem spaces that have some bearing onto the physical world. Humans will also prefer axiomatic systems / problem spaces that have some match to their sensorial systems, and the sensorial systems are shaped by the physical world.
That being said, we are not too far from embodied computers, coming online soon as autonomous cars and autonomous killer drones. While this will not immediately give raise to physical biases in computer mathematicians, computers will become, for all intents and purposes, subject to the same physical reality which shapes humans.
- sukilot 6y agoYou are describing (some of) physics, not math. Most of math is already far beyond human physical senses, and theoretical physics largely is too.
- whatshisface 6y agoIt's all still based on intuitive concepts like "sets" and "integers." Furthermore, inference rules are all based on the ones we use every day. You could have "alien logic" if you wanted but nobody seems to be very interested. Of course this has no bearing on computer proofs because you can tell the computer what your preferences are.