[cubefox]

> There is something about mathematical discovery (progress, advancement, creation) which is vital to the spiritual, experiential quality of doing mathematics. The creation (or even the pursuit) of novel mathematics is one way that humans have historically accessed the ineffable and encountered the divine and mystical.

[amarka]

“ one way that humans have historically accessed the ineffable” that’s my question, what about the other ways that have been automated away. Is there something special about mathematics or is it the authors first encounter with obsolescence?

[cubefox]

The automatic dishwasher has replaced the human dishwasher, but I highly doubt that dishwashing was one way that humans have historically accessed the ineffable.

[amarka]

Maybe if you think really hard you’ll come up with other (more useful) examples.