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The idea of a language which underlies the structure of the natural world (the word / logos) is a core underpinning of -- I hesitate to say most, but at the ver
by jovial_cavalier 5y ago
The idea of a language which underlies the structure of the natural world (the word / logos) is a core underpinning of -- I hesitate to say most, but at the very least -- many sophisticated theologies.
The line between that which you can call "the word" and what you call "math" is not clear to me at all.
- moonchild 5y agoMath exists within the world and, of necessity, is expressed in its terms. The reverse need not be true.
- jovial_cavalier 5y agoThat's true, but most people people consider mathematical truths to be actual truths, and this is backed by the predictive power of mathematical models. You can doubt the predictive power of math itself, but I have yet to see a clear example where rigorous math deviates from nature. The fact that effects seem to follow causes naturally leads to the idea that there is a language which you can use to symbolically represent the process by which the universe evolves in time and space. The attempt to realize that language is what we call "math." My point is only that the idea of the logos is not at all dissimilar from that, and the idea that someone who is intensely interested in logic and mathematics would also be interested in theology is only natural to me.