| As a younger person (finishing up a Math BS) this resonates with my perspective. IMHO, it comes down to individual beliefs about mathematical realism. Is there anything inherently real about math, or is it just a man-made, arbitrary set of cognitive tools? Is it valid to presume the existence of a Grand Mathematical Framework that can solve any problem a priori? Or, is every problem unique and independent of mathematical developments? From the little I've read about Math history, it seems pretty clear that the Problems came first, and the Mathematics followed. Infintesimal calculus, game theory, etc. were mathematical ideas developed primarily to solve real problems. Then 20th century formalism came along and rebranded much of mathematics under a "clean" framework, while giving little attention to the human environment in which much of it was developed. To me, it is a great shame that abstract mathematical concepts are made further abstract (e.g. in math education) by distancing them from their human roots. Instead of forcing oneself to understand this mathematical "new testament", I think it's far more productive to adopt this sort of irreverent attitude towards math as you describe. Einstein: >"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality." |