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One example where natural language is clearly suboptimal is math. Most people can do simple transformations on equations with small polynomials in memory. But t
by ajuc 3y ago
One example where natural language is clearly suboptimal is math. Most people can do simple transformations on equations with small polynomials in memory. But that's thinking in formulas.
When you try to do it in plain English it becomes very hard.
- adastra22 3y agoI agree. Wouldn’t it be interesting then to see what we could accomplish if we unlocked similar formalisms for critical thinking and daily life? I’m not a fan of Ithkuil actually, as I think it takes it too far. But I do wonder how much clearer our thinking would be if we had a logical / rational language as our mother tongue.
- olddustytrail 3y agoIt's suboptimal but not impossible. As a child I won a prize (not first place, just a mention) in a national mathematical competition despite the fact no-one had taught me algebra yet. The judges found my reasoning "interesting" and I got the right answers to the puzzles. Of course when, a couple of years later, I was taught algebra, I was wondering why I hadn't been told before!