[FOM] Mathematics ***is*** formalising of our thought and intuition

[Robert Lindauer]

That there are not currently as-good political theories as there are
mathematical theories is not essential to (either) science.  Surely
political scientists -could- carry on their discipline without error
just as any mathematician might by simply being very conservative.
Surely mathematicians have carried out poor calculations and/or
proceeded under false assumptions.

Surely it is the intention of every science to have error-free
systematic understanding, this is not unique to mathematics.





On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 12:00 AM, Vaughan Pratt <pratt at cs.stanford.edu> wrote:
>
>
> On 5/28/2010 2:52 PM, hendrik at topoi.pooq.com wrote:
>> On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 11:48:53AM -0700, Robert Lindauer wrote:
>>> Consider: "Political science is the art and practice of devising and
>>> using conceptual spaces where long sequences of reasoning steps can be
>>> carried out without error"
>>
>> I've never seen a political scientist carry out long sequences of
>> reasoning steps about politics and have the kind of reliability one
>> gets in mathematics.
>
> Complex arguments are the mathematician's friend, and the enemy of her
> customer.
>
> This could also be said of stockbrokers.
>
> Vaughan Pratt
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-- 
It gives.