Wednesday, November 27th, 2013
"To speak freely, I am convinced that it [mathematics] is a
more powerful instrument of knowledge than any other..."
- Renee Descartes
Do you agree, that math is a "more powerful instrument" than any other type of knowledge?
If I had to choose between either side, I'd have to agree with Descartes. Math is a strong instrument to prove knowledge. And the reason behind this reliability and strength is because math is universally accepted. Math forms part of the shared knowledge that people have. People agree with the language that is used in math (although there may be minor differences in notations and symbols that do not interfere with the overall meaning of the "message" trying to get spread out). Math, as a shared knowledge and the closest to a universal language, is the most effective and efficient way to spread an information in mass and less likely to be questioned. Usually, people who know how to interpret the math presented won't question the content (if done properly, of course). In that sense, math is the most powerful instrument to convince people with the content it contains.
However, math is a powerful tool, but that does not mean it is the most powerful. Actually, I guess it depends on the way you look at the word "powerful". The way that I first saw it, I took powerful as a way to measure the degree of certainty it inspires in the people who view its content. This content would be appropriate only for the subject approached. However, listening to other people made me think about a broader scope of things, as when we compare math with other means of communicating information. If compared to the languages we speak and write to communicate colloquially (as in English and Spanish and all the other languages that exist in the world), then I think math can be seen as a less powerful instrument. The power of words is tremendous, and this lies in the ambiguity of the words that we use. The ambiguity makes the words open to personal interpretation, from the part of the listener and the user. The way that we present and expose the words can have very different effects depending on the audience, and this makes words a very powerful tool on the influence one has on the people around.
However, math is a powerful tool, but that does not mean it is the most powerful. Actually, I guess it depends on the way you look at the word "powerful". The way that I first saw it, I took powerful as a way to measure the degree of certainty it inspires in the people who view its content. This content would be appropriate only for the subject approached. However, listening to other people made me think about a broader scope of things, as when we compare math with other means of communicating information. If compared to the languages we speak and write to communicate colloquially (as in English and Spanish and all the other languages that exist in the world), then I think math can be seen as a less powerful instrument. The power of words is tremendous, and this lies in the ambiguity of the words that we use. The ambiguity makes the words open to personal interpretation, from the part of the listener and the user. The way that we present and expose the words can have very different effects depending on the audience, and this makes words a very powerful tool on the influence one has on the people around.
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