patty t4 Jan 2005

i'm saying that a facile statement like "a thing divided by a third of itself equals three" (x/x/3)=3) isn't a (mathematical) theorem AT ALL, but a mere logical/notational (if not grammatical) truism. mathematics is interesting because it can make conclusions about things that aren't immediately obvious. statements that are tautologic like 1=1 are, strictly speaking, mathematically uninteresting, and it does a disservice to serious thought to call such things math.

if you want to take the euclidean view, and say that ALL math is a priori and analytic (ie based fundamentally on logical axioms), then you should go back and live with Newton in the 17th century. Non-euclidean spaces, Einstein and a fellow named Kurt Godel have proven false the notion that logic and math are identical.

ok I'll stop ranting now, b/c it's way past the point of being helpful to the poem :)