Science And Math Was: Python's Lisp heritage

[Gonçalo Rodrigues]

On Mon, 22 Apr 2002 17:00:46 GMT, "Terry Reedy" <tejarex at yahoo.com>
wrote:

>
>"Gonçalo Rodrigues" <op73418 at mail.telepac.pt> wrote in message
>news:dit7cuo1nguiha34nq80m9q39igpjlr70d at 4ax.com...
>, 22 Apr 2002 06:10:02 GMT, Tim Daneliuk <tundra at tundraware.com>
>...
>> You should understand that this is a philosophical viewpoint. The
>> mathematical field is roughly divided in the Platonist field, those
>who
>> believe that mathematical objects exist somewhere out there in space
>(to
>> quote Sun Ra) in a Wonderful World of Platonic Ideas,
>
>This is such a crude and misleading caricature of the minority
>Platonist viewpoint that I suspect you must incline toward
>
>> the formalist
>> field of those who believe mathematics is essentialy a game we play
>on
>> paper with symbols with no "real" meaning attached to it besides the
>> convenience in describing natural phenomena.
>
>Terry J. Reedy
>
>

I confess: I did not try to make an exact and rigorous picture of any of
the fields. And if I was misleading in any way do you care to correct
me? 

Also, I am not so sure that the Platonists are in the minority.

best regards,
Gonçalo Rodrigues