FOM: Goedel: truth and misinterpretations

Torkel Franzen torkel at sm.luth.se
Tue Oct 31 02:17:03 EST 2000


 Vladimir Sazonov says:

  >Of course, if your prejudiced view is that there is some 
  >(mysterious!) mathematical TRUTH which we should find (which 
  >way, if not by using rigorous proofs?) then you will not see 
  >the evident fact that mathematics is (first of all) a formal 
  >science.

  To say that mathematical truth is mysterious is, apparently, to hold
that a purported observation such as

  (1)  Even if Goldbach's conjecture is true, it is not necessarily
       provable in ZFC

is mysterious. In what way is (1) mysterious? The question is not
rhetorical. Perhaps (1) is indeed mysterious, but if so, your comments
so far have not brought out wherein the mystery lies.

---

  Torkel Franzen, Luleå university




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