Religion

stone space

(6,498 posts) Mon Apr 28, 2014, 01:20 AM Apr 2014

Reductionism

Sociologists really want to be Psychologists.

Psychologists really want to be Biologists.

Biologists really want to be Chemists.

Chemists really want to be Physicists.

Physicists really want to be God.

And God really wants to be a Mathematician.

10 replies

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Reductionism (Original Post) stone space Apr 2014 OP

So say the Mathematicians. goldent Apr 2014 #1

I always understood math this way LostOne4Ever Apr 2014 #2

ROFL! longship Apr 2014 #3

Well, if there was a Math group here, there'd be 3. stone space Apr 2014 #4

Well played my friend. longship Apr 2014 #5

It does kind of raise the question of who or what causes mathematics. stone space Apr 2014 #6

Love it. cbayer Apr 2014 #7

Cool. Do you know what field of mathematics he specializes in? (nt) stone space Apr 2014 #8

Some kind of applied math that predicts oil futures. cbayer Apr 2014 #9

"despite all this"?? trotsky Apr 2014 #10

goldent

(1,582 posts)

1. So say the Mathematicians.

Reply to stone space (Original post)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 01:32 AM

Apr 2014

I felt much more comfortable with Math when I heard the quote by von Neuman

Young man, in mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them.

LostOne4Ever

(9,289 posts)

2. I always understood math this way

Reply to goldent (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 04:02 AM

Apr 2014

Mathematicians are the laziest people on the planet.

There is nothing they love more than finding some shortcut to get their work done. Mulitplication is a shortcut to addition. Division is a short cut to subtraction, matrices are a shortcut to factoring equations or solving polynomials, trig identities are a shortcut to geometry, Calculus is a shortcut to analyitical geometry, ect...

They will put in 10x more work than is needed just to find a shortcut to doing their work in the first place

longship

(40,416 posts)

3. ROFL!

Reply to stone space (Original post)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 07:12 AM

Apr 2014

Boy, hope there's only the two threads.

Still, it's still worth R&K ing.

stone space

(6,498 posts)

4. Well, if there was a Math group here, there'd be 3.

Reply to longship (Reply #3)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 08:06 AM

Apr 2014

But unfortunately, I had to settle for Science and Religion.

longship

(40,416 posts)

5. Well played my friend.

Reply to stone space (Reply #4)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 08:10 AM

Apr 2014

Not sure where religion comes into this thing unless it is an argument for final cause. But it is humorous.

stone space

(6,498 posts)

6. It does kind of raise the question of who or what causes mathematics.

Reply to longship (Reply #5)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 08:35 AM

Apr 2014

I did consider adding a line about how Mathematicians really want to be Artists.

From there on down, it's Turtles all the way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsey's_theorem

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

7. Love it.

Reply to stone space (Original post)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 09:30 AM

Apr 2014

I loved math but couldn't see anywhere to go with it.

I now have a son in law who recently got his PhD in math and is really set for life.

stone space

(6,498 posts)

8. Cool. Do you know what field of mathematics he specializes in? (nt)

Reply to cbayer (Reply #7)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 09:37 AM

Apr 2014

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

9. Some kind of applied math that predicts oil futures.

Reply to stone space (Reply #8)

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 09:40 AM

Apr 2014

He had job offers out the whazoo, but decided to take a faculty position at Johns Hopkins.

And, despite all this, he's extremely lovable, personable and funny.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)

10. "despite all this"??

Reply to cbayer (Reply #9)

Tue Apr 29, 2014, 09:36 AM

Apr 2014

WTF?

Do you mean that despite the fact he's good at math, he's a nice person?

Between this and your labeling of some people as "Spocks" really concerns me. As if you view those whose brains lean toward the hard sciences as incomplete or lesser people - and they surprise you when they have a personality.

Again I repeat: WTF?

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