Is mathematics the grand design for the Universe, or merely a figment of the human imagination?
Nature’s Patterns
Stewart in this section puts forward numerous patterns that we see in everyday life to illustrate how mathematics can be seen as the basis of the Universe. He then quotes from different scientists and philosophers some saying that God is a pure mathematician and that “the Universe is made from information, the raw material of mathematics”. However, he puts forward the other side of the argument – where “fundamental mathematics is in the eye of the beholder…in the beholder’s mind”. This is because we use sense perceptions to experience the universe and then interpret these senses in our minds. Stewart then tells us how he believes that mathematics is a combination of invention and discovery. Using examples of Columbus landing in America and Livingstone’s discovery of Victoria Falls, he displays how invention and discovery can both happen at the same time as many things cannot just fall into one category. I think the examples he uses here are good illustrations of the differences between invention and discovery and I believe they are quite convincing.
I am able to learn from this subsection that mathematics is really not what it seems to be. From here, I realize that mathematics is everywhere around us and that we see it everyday in our lives. The idea of mathematics being the grand design of the universe was only first considered when I read the article.
Lottery Illusion
This last section of the article again focuses on mathematical patterns. Stewart tells us how Fibonacci numbers can be traced to the behaviour of cells at the tip of a growing shoot and how lumps of cells (primordial) develop into arranged patterns that leads back to the Fibonacci numbers. He then presents the fact that lottery numbers on the contrary, do not follow patterns of mathematics suggesting that mathematics may not be inherent in nature after all. One important point he makes is that – ‘mathematical minds cannot evolve in an unmathematical universe’ meaning that it is impossible to be mathematical if the universe itself is not mathematical at all! Here, we see that Stewart himself believes that the mathematics is the grand design of the universe even though he does not explicitly conclude so.
I find myself agreeing with Stewart on the fact that our minds have evolved to learn detecting patterns as I think this is very true. However I do not think this is enough evidence to suggest that mathematics is the grand design of the universe. For example, the number of petals on flowers may just coincidentally be the same as the Fibonacci numbers; we can never know whether they are truly following mathematical patterns.
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2 comments:
You said that the universe is basicaly formed by maths, but the way in which we see the world depends on us, therfore we will not all agree that maths is the basis of the universe. I agree that the we see things differently because interpret the things we sense in different ways.
This explains to me that the importance of maths to people really depends on how we see it and value it. We all realise that maths is needed socially but for people who have careers that don't involve using maths may find it less important to life.
To summarize Hey Tou Chiu’s post, mathematic information exists in the design of the universe but we may interpret them differently from our senses. However there is not enough evidence, “Lottery Illusion, to prove the reasons for design or invention as it may just be because of coincidence. I agree with this so the answer to whether mathematics the grand design for the Universe, or merely a figment of the human imagination remains unanswered.
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