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

[hendrik@topoi.pooq.com]

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. 
> 
> The problem is that your definition would make mathematics -the only-
> science, and that's not reasonable.  Surely mathematics is
> foundational in that every science must make some use of mathematical
> concepts and procedures, however, it does not follow that the whole
> content of those other sciences (e.g. chemistry) is mathematical!

Well, they do say that mathematics is the language of science...
The content of those other sciences may not be mathematics, but some of 
them do use mathematics.

-- hendrik