Do numbers exist?

[Pavoneo]

So, I was watching a video about math philosophy (Eww, math & philosophy both in the same place? Get me out of here xD)

Basically, what I dissected from this video is that there are three types of math thinkers.

1. Platonism: Numbers are objects, (Like a chair or table). The only thing is that they exist outside of our observations, they are in a different dimension that are outside of space & time. Every number is its own thing.

2. Nominalism: The claims made by a Platonist should be made about real objects. Like, they should apply to things that are used in real life situations and shouldn't go any further. Every number should have a thing it's applied to.

3. Fictionalism: Numbers are false, they've helped us greatly in the world to get by, but it's completely wrong. There's no concrete information to show it exists, it's somewhat like a fake story. Sure, it teaches morals, but the event itself never happened.

Now, these are just the overview of the thinkers. The video goes much more in-depth into these topics, and I highly suggest watching the video.

Video.

Spoiler

 

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[benIncher]

Without maths we wouldn't have language, technologies, art, music, etc. Almost every advancement in society has been based around maths, so yes, numbers do exist. Philosophically, I guess they are a human creation, like language, murder, tables, morals.

 

[Tsuki]

Wow that's interesting, I think I'm a Platonist... but gonna check the video right now

 

[UzumakiNaruto20]

Numbers, like time, is man made. It exists in our minds. From our point of view it exists. But it does not in reality.

 

[ackeem1992]

great vid, this stuff is new to me, maths is false no wonder i'v always hated it

 

[Pavoneo]

Numbers, like time, is man made. It exists in our minds. From our point of view it exists. But it does not in reality.

That's personally how I see it. Numbers, like almost everything are made for our own benefit. We have things such as languages and math and whatnot to further understand a topic, or to better communicate with one another. But the thing is, we made up language and math, meaning it didn't exist in the environment. It's just a way we express an amount of something, such as temperature or length. Did temperature and time exist before we developed math? Of course, but since we developed math, we could be more precise and understand things such as temperature and time more accurately than if we didn't have math.

It's made up. It's like a fake story. The story didn't happen, but the moral of it can affect your life and the way you think.

 

[Gingka Uzumaki]

Wha - What? O_O

 

[Tsuki]

OMG after watching this vid i feel confused xd

 

[Pendulum1337]

The entire creation of numbers is a human design. The beginning of understanding to some. Or the falsification of there being a god to others. Well i like fiction in all forms of the art except math. Its like saying the universe is a wigi board (yes, that thing) and we are summoning something none existent into existence via numbers. Having said that i lay my hands down and say platonist.

Relevence to math. Well we ARE the matrix

 

[Pavoneo]

OMG after watching this vid i feel confused xd

You don't seem to be the only one xD.

 

[Tsuki]

But keep it up, I like threads like this one xd they are quite interesting :y

 

[iSpeak]

Numbers are mad made but the logic behind it isn't.

 

[Pavoneo]

Numbers are mad made but the logic behind it isn't.

That's an interesting perspective. Care to elaborate?

[EDIT] @Pendulum1337 we are the matrix, aren't we.. :3 I like your reasoning sir.

 

[Pendulum1337]

I'm subscribed to that youtube channel since i cant remember xdxd

 

[Pavoneo]

I'm subscribed to that youtube channel since i cant remember xdxd

It's an awesome channel that usually relates things to real life or just goes off on this insane concept o.o..

 

[RiaValkyre]

nominalist. But only becuse I learn from History, knowing that what we believe for f* sure right now can be fixed fake in the future.
So we are blind donkeys walking at midnight (as we say here i love this saying)

But anyways, numbers can even be really a 'language' that 'universe shares with us to communicate with itself" to be poetrical. But there are too many factors we can leave out when we try to understand things via numbers.
Leaving out features causes risk of being wrong. Thats why we cannot say it for sure

Still, humankind is learning and 2 possible situations can beborn from this whole question - if we don't die out... that's possible too LOL -

1
We will once achieve the goal and will understand physics and universe 100% by numbers, not leaving out any feature. What will happen - as psychology ?
Human nature will make us to fall into despair that we achieved so far every possible stuff. However we can be proud that mathematics work and we did get the key of the world in our DNA (so the ability of counting)
But then universe has an end too, as we do ---> numbers don't.... disappointing and sad.

2
If we never achieve it, but we allways develop as the 0.9999999999999999' (not-ending number you know) number that has no end, but mathematically equals 1 (as you cannot decrase 1 with any number to get 0.999999999999999' ...... or as the parabolas.
It would never give us evidence that numbers do exist but they truly work, we get more and more each day ---> just we are like the universe, if we end somewhere we are no happy.
And it would still mean IF we could say it truly means, that world has no end, limits, as we don't either, like numbers, still no evidence.

This is the summary of 5 theories about the world I LOVE.
nd I think it's funny we will never know,if yes, we will be disappointed

Huh.

 

[iSpeak]

That's an interesting perspective. Care to elaborate?

Kinda hard to explain.
Its like words were man made, but what they represent isn't. The word air is man made, but what the word represents isn't. The concept of time exists, but the word itself is man made. The number 1 is man made, but what is represents exists. If the concept didn't exist, then we wouldn't be able to differentiate between the amounts.

 

[RiaValkyre]

Kinda hard to explain.
Its like words were man made, but what they represent isn't. The word air is man made, but what the word represents isn't. The concept of time exists, but the word itself is man made. The number 1 is man made, but what is represents exists.

I undertsand what u say, thats really true and mature to think actually.

 

[lowlyhuman]

3.