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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
BEGIN:VEVENT
SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-4879
DTSTART:20181002T170500Z
DTEND:20181002T180000Z
DTSTAMP:20260419T054648Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180906T004659Z
LOCATION:4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
SUMMARY:Some half-baked philosophy of mathematics\, Chaos & Complex Sy
 stems Seminar\, Moe Hirsch\, UW Department of Mathematics
DESCRIPTION:I'll discuss what I think are the basic philosophical ques
 tions:<br>
\n(1) What makes math universal? Its results seem independe
 nt of time and place. No one doubts Euclid's or Pythagoras' theorems o
 f thousands of years ago\, even if we think some of the proofs aren't 
 correct. No one since Hitler and Stalin thinks its correctness depends
  on race\, religion or nationality. But will the same math be found wh
 erever there's life in the universe?<br>
\n
\n(2) Why is math so usefu
 l? Try spending a day without thinking about numbers.<br>
\n
\n(3) Its
  results seem absolutely true. But are they? If they are\, how can we 
 prove it? And if we can prove it\, how do we know our proof is correct
 ?<br>
\n
\nReadings:<br>
\n
\nEssays in Humanistic Mathematics: Mathem
 atical Association of America<br>
\n
\nWhat is Mathematics Really? R. 
 Hersh\, Oxford University Press<br>
\n
\nWhere Mathematics Comes from:
  G. Lakoff & R Nunez\, Basic Books<br>
\n
\nThe Math Gene: K. Devlin\,
  Basic Books
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=4879
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