Proving once again that, no however deep Thompson tries to go, Zingale can go 
deeper, much deeper.  

 

Ok, is mathematics (logic, etc.) a way of arriving at true propositions 
distinct from observation or are mathematical truths different from empirical 
truths?  

 

I keep hearing Hywel in my ears:  Mathematics is all very well but sometimes 
you have to know what you are doing.  

 

I think I am starting to know the answer just by being badgered by you guys.  I 
can from relativity theory predict that during a solar eclipse a distant star 
will pop out from behind the sun at T= xxxx =/- xxxx sec.  I can observe 
empirically that, indeed, the star popped out within that time range.  Thus I 
have arrived at the same proposition both by mathematical and empirical means.  
Is that oK.  

 

Nick Thompson

thompnicks...@gmail.com <mailto:thompnicks...@gmail.com> 

https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

 

From: Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com> On Behalf Of Jon Zingale
Sent: Friday, September 3, 2021 4:37 PM
To: friam@redfish.com
Subject: [FRIAM] Can empirical discoveries be mathematical?

 

Beginning with Oxford,

 

empirical: based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience 
rather than theory or pure logic.

 

Where then Nick goes on to argue, perhaps, that experience of logic is 
experience and so "experience rather than theory or pure logic" is meaningless. 
Then somewhere in hell's pub, far far away, Glen rolls his eyes and wonders 
whether he should write about scoping or simply berate Nick for navel-gazing.

 

But then, maybe this is the case for logic and not mathematics. Perhaps 
mathematics requires abstraction, representation, and objectification. It may 
be necessary to make bold claims like, "my love is like the integers". At some 
point during the process, one has to decide whether a thing has a front or a 
back or an inside to be out. Even the designation married comes with baggage, 
to be taken for granted in the objectification process.

 

Ah, but if I have it correct, Nick also believes that a day like no other is no 
day at all. Nothing can be known about such a day. The only days are those that 
are like the integers (type) or days like today (class).

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