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> In this ultrafinite physical world, the largest prime determines how large any object can be before folding back in on itself. This is why I don't like ultra
by msla 6y ago
> In this ultrafinite physical world, the largest prime determines how large any object can be before folding back in on itself.
This is why I don't like ultrafinitism: It insists on mixing levels, like an Escher print.
The world of pure mathematics isn't the physical world, for all the same reasons Santa Claus isn't real, and trying to bind pure math to some (theoretical!) properties of the physical world is just as wrong-headed as insisting that nobody can ever make songs about Santa because we know nobody can deliver toys that quickly.
- mensetmanusman 6y agoBut it’s still a useful exercise, because at the interface where math does seem to touch the real world, we can use it to make amazing predictions about the behavior of future events.