My Philosophy Prof. Said Something about numbers Not being real. Dont Understand!?

Question

He was introducing us to the questions of Philosophy. He stated that, numbers arent real, and cant be mesaured or something similiar to that topic. I dont understand what would lead him to such a conclusion. maby somebody could clarify his conclusion for me. thanks!

Answer 1

he is talking about you're dreams and goals , numbers can't measure up to that only you decide when it is time to stop.

Answer 2

Ask him what he means by "real".

If I say 2+3 = 5, you would say I am right, but where is this figure 2, and this figure 3, and this figure 5 - graphics we were taught to write at school. They do not exist, as such,anywhere. If you tell me that you will be giving me an orange , when I already have one, I will have an orange more, this much is real. I now picture an orange and another one next to it, this much is real. The "2" does not come in anywhere, it is ureal.

In this way all numbers are imaginary, that is, not real , not only those that mathematicians call "imaginary" in contrast to what they term "ordinary" numbers. But though unreal, numbers are useful for all that; if you are told that you have won a million dollars, at once you have an image in your mind of a cheque with the figure 1 000 000 written on it. This is useful. And this is philosophy: even the unreal is useful.

Answer 3

This is one of those glib philosophical pearls that people who have had Godel's Incompletness theorm explained to them like to say to be shocking or seem smart. It's bunk. If you want to make a name for yourself in philosophy (and have a lot of fights in your academic career) spend your time proving this numbers don't exist stuff wrong. Start by reading the book "where mathematics comes from" see link below...

What your prof is trying to say goes deeper than just the fact that we assign the squiggly line that looks like a "2" to the quantity of two items. Another poster trying to answer your question has made this mistake with his example that 4 cars is not the number 4. He's only part right. The "numbers do not exist" crowd look at it differently. They think that the concept of numbers is a wholly invented domain.

This is what they call an ontological question, whether an abstract thing exists.

The ironic paradox is that Godel's incompletness theorm, which says that no group of arguments can prove that it is itself true, proves that Godel's own incompleness theorm cannot itself be proven true (or false for that matter.)

Answer 4

Wow, those are some pretty crazy statements. Prophets on shrooms? Mushrooms don't grow in the desert, dude. We've evolved from apes?? Then why are apes still here? If you think that Mary just "pretended" to not have sex and to have a virgin child, then how come more women and teenagers don't try that these days? Many people believed Mary. Why wouldn't people believe women today? It's because it really happened. Her husband, Joseph, swore that he never touched her. And her brothers and sisters and uncles swore that she never had an opportunity to be out of sight, with another man. There is proof that Jesus died on the cross, and was resurrected as well. If you want to make up bizarre, goofy, psychedelic responses to the occurrences in the Bible, by all means feel free. It's your choice. Jubilee on Earth (dot com) <><

Answer 5

Numbers are not empirically observed (we can't see numbers without human rationale)

He's obviously coming from an empirisists perspective. A Rationalist might argue that numbers do exist.

Good luck

Answer 6

I agree with your professor. I beleive numbers do not really exist.

How can you count how many times you are concious or use your senses? It's something you do all the time. Life flows and dosen't move like a ticking clock, in segments. Life flows.
Everything in nature moves in cycles.

Answer 7

i'm not sure about that, i need some more information. maybe he tried describing how numbers are infinite, and we can't physically see an end to it. therefore, we don't really understand the concept of numbers?

maybe he meant that different rules of numbers (negatives, imaginary numbers, repeating decimals like .0000000...1) make no sense? we can't quantify a negative number (unless our bank screws us), consequently making numbers a silly idea?

what else did he say that brought him to that conclusion?

Answer 8

he's talking about concepts. Numbers aren't real. four isnt real. you can have four real cars in front of you. but they are cars, not the number four. The concept of the number four is there, but its something you make in your mind. If the cars disappear, the concept of four still remains.

hope i was able to help.

Answer 9

Nothing - 0
Unity - 1

Whatever is not as 'part, whole, equivalence, uniqueness, limit, link, sensation, influence, derivative, origin, condition, rule, intent, and fulfillment' is not unity.

Nothing is as 'part, whole, equivalence, uniqueness, limit, link, sensation, influence, derivative, origin, condition, rule, intent, and fulfillment' if unity is nothing.