Date/Time
Date(s) - 07/09/2025
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Location
The Rose Battersea
Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered?
Bob Clarke, 7th September 2025
Where do we get our mathematics from? Do mathematical entities dwell in an Eternal Transcendent World that is independent of our contingent physical world? Do they, perhaps, dwell in a Platonic World of Eternal Mathematical Forms? Some contemporary professional mathematicians are inclined towards this view. Or … does our very immanent Physical world Itself comprise of mathematical structures? The ancient Greek Pythagoreans were inclined towards this view, and it is a view that has been revived in the 21st Century. Or… are we Human Beings responsible for inventing mathematics – is mathematics purely a product of our Human Embodied Mind? This, again, is a position that is being advocated in the 21st Century. We will survey these three mutually incompatible metaphysical ontologies for mathematics in relation to two astonishing human mathematical achievements in recent decades: the Proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem by Andrew Wiles (1994-5) and the discovery by David Smith (2023), a ‘hobbyist’ mathematician, of an ‘Aperiodic Monotile’ (a term that will be explained). This will be a Basic Introductory Talk which will avoid deep technicalities. Only a very few (very small) equations will be presented …
For references and web links see Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered – Summary and References.pdf
Bob will give his talk at The Rose Battersea, 74-76 Battersea Bridge Road, London SW11 3AG but the meeting will also be on Zoom see SLPC Zoom Meeting
We always welcome new speakers. If you would like to give a talk on a philosopher or a philosophical topic please contact Adrian Carter at southlondonphilosophy@gmail.com