Which was the greater creation of man, written word or mathematics?

Question

I know this is pedantic but it's worth the argument!

Answer 1

Neither. The answer is the "spoken" word.
Spoken words represent concepts. Concepts are metaphysical. Numbers are metaphysical. Spoken words led to the writing of both words and of numbers. The writing of words and of numbers are equally great creations; but it took the creation of spoken words to put the metaphysical concepts into the minds of other people so they could be understood, common concepts among individual minds.

Answer 2

Written word, especially because human beings from different parts of the world found so many different ways of writing the things they were saying. Chinese, Arabic, Thai, Mongolian, Tibetan, Korean, Japanese, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Latin/Roman, old Ghotic German... there must be a thousand different scriptures.

Mathematics is a great thing, Logic, too, and sure there have been great differences in perception of these two fields in different cultures and it is also a very interesting scientific discipline, but I would still vote for the written word.

Plus, I think it is possible to have the written word without mathematics, but I don't think mathematics without other written words would be enough (they would make sense with numbers, but words would still be needed).

Answer 3

While I follow the crowd here by answering that the written word is more significant than mathematics, I think a few things should be pointed out. First, as others have stated, the written word is a precursor to mathematics as we know it. How developed could mathematics be in a purely oral culture? With oral histories being handed down from generation to generation (without writing), I think mathematics would remain quite simple. Given this, your question's answer seems obvious. Second, in addition, it seems obvious that most here on this forum would say "written word" since it IS the VERY thing this forum is. Notice that no one who picked mathematics wrote his/her answer in a mathematical equation; thus, EVEN their answers privilege writing over math (though they claim it as more important).

Answer 4

As much as it annoys me as a left-brained person, I'm going with the written word. It's responsible for the spread of ideas, which led to revolutions and law and allowed for the peaceful pursuit of...well, everything. Also, some concepts in engineering/science/mathematics are best explained with the written word rather than pure math.

Answer 5

Both are great creations. But there would be no mathematics without the written word. So the written word came first, and therefore is the greater creation.

Answer 6

Mathematics appears to be a quality which obtains even in animals: http://www.physorg.com/printnews.php?newsid=115906589

So it is more a discovery than a creation, unless Creator be credited.

The word as developing in similar manner is also a discovery.

However, the Creator is credited with Word as cup of Light, Energy, hence, the discovery of "word" is in that wise greater.

"The Science of the Spoken Word," Mark Prophet, may be of interest, and "Creation: Artistic and Spiritual," O. M. Aivanhov, as well.

Answer 7

The written word...it took the written word for me to understand just about everything else--including mathematics!

Answer 8

Written word - so that you can preserve and communicate the possibilities afforded by mathematics. There is also an element of creative expression possible in writing that doesn't have an equal correspondent in math.

Answer 9

Well mathemetics are generally more important because the world runs around them! Written word would be invented anyway but because of famous scientists and mathematicians advances in mathematics help cure diseases design buildings even save lives! They need math for the mega dam of China (without it thousands of people each year will definetly die). Some examples of great mathematicians such as Kharazme came from Europe and Persia (current day Iran).

*Note Arabic numerals were created by Persians.

Answer 10

Written word, as math is a constant created by the universe (like physics) and writing was a human concept.

Answer 11

Written word. Without it, how would some mathematical expressions be expressed?