[ching_wow_ka]

I'm not much of a mathematician, but I found "Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty" by Morris Kline (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Oxford-Pape...) very insightful in regards to the development and current state of mathematics. A brief synopsis:

From Amazon: "This work stresses the illogical manner in which mathematics has developed, the question of applied mathematics as against 'pure' mathematics, and the challenges to the consistency of mathematics' logical structure that have occurred in the twentieth century."

From goodreads.com: "Most intelligent people today still believe that mathematics is a body of unshakable truths about the physical world and that mathematical reasoning is exact and infallible. Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty refutes that myth."

Edit: This was also interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlMMeqO7wOI , a video by Stephen Wolfram. I know he is often criticized for various reasons, but much of what he says makes intuitive sense.

[eellpp]

> Most intelligent people today still believe that mathematics is a body of unshakable truths about the physical world and that mathematical reasoning is exact and infallible.

I had always thought of mathematics as the language of science. (Instead of saying i want more apples, i can say as i want 5 apples). Physics and other sciences use mathematics to explain the physical world or make predictions about them. Is there something more to it ?