The problem with mathematics

Mathematicians frequently claim that mathematics is the language of nature, of reality itself. This seems a bit counter-intuitive, since what constitutes mathematics, and what doesn't, is entirely decided internally, by mathematicians themselves, there is no objective standard used, it is an introspective, subjective process, rather like determining the aesthetic value of a piece of music. Very much like that, actually. However, a fairly high standard of universal agreement amongst all mathematicians is required, there is generally no acrimonious debate between mathematicians, it is a comparatively serene branch of knowledge, in general. But, isn't this all a kind of illusion? After all, how can reality be decided by committee, even with universal agreement, internally? Don't you have to actually experience reality, and decide for yourself? This is the problem with the very concept of mathematics. It directly implies that all reality is implicit from committee agreement on the processes of introspection. And, this is why scientists who use mathematics as the ultimate standard of truth frequently become so confused about it. They see their equations, they see their data, they conclude that that is the end of the argument. However, really, it's just the beginning. Their data is selected, often arbitrarily, often selectively to prove a point. The mathematics employed to model the data is merely an consensus agreement on human processes of introspection, nothing more. Mathematics is just a convention, it could be seen as the ultimate form of social conformity. So, how can we possibly get important original new ideas out of it? How can mathematics do anything more than recreate, over and over again, the committee agreements of mathematicians, from which it was originally derived? Now, of course, mathematics does have its uses. Mathematics is an excellent means of communicating standard ideas, in standard ways, between professionals, particularly engineers, who employ it all the time. Since there is universal agreement on it, everyone knows what it is, and what it means, once they have been trained in it. Unfortunately, many scientists, particularly physcists these days, make the mistake of confusing universal agreement, with the whole of reality. People can universally agree on all kinds of things, and completely miss the mark. Happens all the time. So, actually, mathematics can, and frequently does, confuse our perceptions of reality itself. Also, because of the committee nature of the field of mathematics, it tends to stifle real creativity, real originality, which is individualistic in nature. So, let us think of mathematics the same way we think of money. Mathematics is an excellent servant, but, a poor master. #mathematics #science #philosophyofscience #physics #philosophy #metaphysics #engineering #philosophyofmathematics #creativity