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A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

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Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#11

Post by BasDirks »

johnchristopher wrote: post #10
ganeumann wrote: post #3

Both physics and the unreasonable success of math at explaining the world make much more sense if you just assume we are living in a math equation.

It may make much more sens but it doesn't answer two fundamental questions of mine: why is there something instead of nothing and what do I do now ? I doubt we'll ever get the answer to the first one in this life/physical realm. Philosophy can help ponder over the second one though.

To read up on the first question, try Heidegger. For the second: Nietzsche.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#12

Post by dghf »

johnchristopher wrote: post #10
ganeumann wrote: post #3

Both physics and the unreasonable success of math at explaining the world make much more sense if you just assume we are living in a math equation.

It may make much more sens but it doesn't answer two fundamental questions of mine: why is there something instead of nothing and what do I do now ? I doubt we'll ever get the answer to the first one in this life/physical realm. Philosophy can help ponder over the second one though.

> why is there something instead of nothing

From the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: 'why not?'

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nothingness/#WhyTheSomRatT...

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#13

Post by tormeh »

ganeumann wrote: post #3

Both physics and the unreasonable success of math at explaining the world make much more sense if you just assume we are living in a math equation.

Math, fundamentally, is just a standardized formal language in which certain facts can be encoded. This is in contrast to someone's random rigorous thoughts, which are not standardized. Math being standardized allows anyone doing math to apply a large set of ready made transforms to their math-encoded facts to derive new math-encoded facts.

If the effectiveness of math is unreasonable, then the universe is either not logical, unreasonably simple in its logic or math is an unreasonably bad language to investigate facts in.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#14

Post by darkmighty »

ganeumann wrote: post #3

Both physics and the unreasonable success of math at explaining the world make much more sense if you just assume we are living in a math equation.

I disagree. It's not a scientific discussion to begin with, but given that life and consciousness exists at all it's to be expected that things are not too random, they must have some order. Mathematics just lets us sift through the simplest explanations of our physical world until we find one that fits.

But of course, the question of why the universe has this particular complexity (it's possible to conceive of life with either simpler or more complex universes) may not be a questions that's "answerable" at all -- there must be some ultimate system in which things to happen (almost by definition), and it must be ultimately arbitrary.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#15

Post by xvilka »

I think this can be connected to the recent work (more like a side product of the main paper) on the ABC Conjecture by S. Mochizuki.

[1] http://mathoverflow.net/questions/106560/philosophy-behind-m...

[2] http://michaelnielsen.org/polymath1/index.php?title=ABC_conj...

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#16

Post by [deleted] »

tormeh wrote: post #13
ganeumann wrote: post #3

Both physics and the unreasonable success of math at explaining the world make much more sense if you just assume we are living in a math equation.

Math, fundamentally, is just a standardized formal language in which certain facts can be encoded. This is in contrast to someone's random rigorous thoughts, which are not standardized . Math being standardized allows anyone doing math to apply a large set of ready made transforms to their math-encoded facts to derive new math-encoded facts. If the effectiveness of math is unreasonable, then the universe is either no…

[deleted]

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#20

Post by oafitupa »

johnchristopher wrote: post #10
ganeumann wrote: post #3

Both physics and the unreasonable success of math at explaining the world make much more sense if you just assume we are living in a math equation.

It may make much more sens but it doesn't answer two fundamental questions of mine: why is there something instead of nothing and what do I do now ? I doubt we'll ever get the answer to the first one in this life/physical realm. Philosophy can help ponder over the second one though.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=something+from+...

If I remember correctly, one of his answers was something like "Because it's the only Universe where we could ask such a question". I think what he means is that all the other possible universes (or most of them) might or might not exist somewhere else, but they certainly don't include intelligent life with the ability to ask "Why is there something instead of nothing?". When you ask that question you are assuming this is the only universe and it was "meant to be". But our sole existence is not evidence at all for a "destination".

"What do I do now" is a complete different question, and I guess people might find their own personal answers in the most varied places. You obviously don't need a physicist for that, although lots of them also think about these things.

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