š§µ How to see the sublime in mathematics?
Anonymous at Sat, 9 Nov 2024 15:39:17 UTC No. 16468342
/lit/izen here. I want to be a polymath, which means I want to be learned in the domain of both the hard and soft sciences. I however find I am suffering from the 'humanities-oriented' condition; I take major delight in philosophy, theology, political science, psychology, anthropology and even esoteric/mystical matters. My preference towards these subjects is driven by how tightly they are tied to the human condition, human conduct in this universe and the relation between the human being and the general broad structure of reality. It utterly fascinates me.
However, when it comes to the sciences (in the modern sense of the word), my motivation to learn, say, mathematics (beyond its relation to metaphysics) is only for that sake of knowing it, just to check it off the list, and isn't driven by any other deeper sort of reason, as opposed to the above mentioned. What I want is that /sci/ perspective; to be able to perceive the inherent depth and value of the subject. I sometimes see threads dedicated to people expressing their utter awe for mathematics, and it makes me sort of feel like I'm missing out. Mathematics is too distant and impersonal, for me, compared to the above mentioned. If philosophy et al are a best-friend, or peers I get along very well with, then mathematics is that acquaintance who, although I enjoy greeting and making small-talk with, I don't care if I ever see her again. How do I approach her, ask her out, and then impregnate her, so to speak?
Anonymous at Sat, 9 Nov 2024 15:43:19 UTC No. 16468346
>>16468342
What a load of pseud babble. You should stick to literature
Anonymous at Sat, 9 Nov 2024 16:04:09 UTC No. 16468362
>>16468342
> 1/2
Indeed anon, quite. I too encountered this same disposition in my younger days. I was intemperate in my youth, and prone to fits of passion. Language appeared to me as a suitable outlet and soon became a mentor - nay, a friend. Before long I had exhausted the classics and sought the guidance of local literature academics.
However, mathematics had never presented me with any such experiential reward, despite the best efforts of a handful of inspired teachers. That all changed one day when I was summoned by one of my professors and mentors. I received a strange letter in the mail (this was years ago when correspondences were maintained in more civil ways) which requested I accompany him to a small gathering in the mediterranean archipelago. In the letter, he assured me it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Being of reasonable means due to an inheritance from my late uncle who neither married nor begot children of his own, I set to making arrangements for the journey. The island was among the more convoluted. I shall not report its name here for reasons which shall become obvious as my story continues, but know that my journey was itself an adventure.
When I arrived I discovered a strange structure in the center of the island. I was alone, and left to the process of entry and integration without my mentor. The structure was merely a story, but possessed such elaborate design that any striving towards its description using mere words would surely fail. Each aspect was perfect in its symmetry, despite being governed in total by the golden ratio, (one of the few mathematical concepts with which I was familiar.) When I say it was perfectly governed by the golden ratio, I mean it in its strictest definition of perfection. As closely as I looked, I could discover no end to the ever-finer coiling of each pattern. In hindsight, this should have been sufficient to enlighten me as to the potential of mathematics, but I was a fool then.
Anonymous at Sat, 9 Nov 2024 16:25:35 UTC No. 16468382
>>16468362
And as a fool, I required resolution. Would I have continued then, had I known the price I would pay? Regardless, I did continue.
Encased in the expert designs was a stairway leading deep into the earth. With no small effort of courage on my part I set to the descent. Each step increased my sense of owe and wonder, as the spiral of the perfect golden ratio continued its trajectory downward. It would alternate between increasing and decreasing increments of the ratio as it spiraled ever farther into the earth. Each step lit, just barely, by torches arranged in the same ratio. I could not conceive of the intelligence of the designers of this place, as even my perception of it was challenged. I felt truly at the edge of my intellectual capacity by merely looking around my surroundings. A strange feeling crept over me, warm and nauseous and terrible.
And then I came to it: the door.
That door, that door! That cursed door! A swirling, bronze whirling of perfectly aligned and integrated patterns all aligned again with that maddening ratio in every direction from every angle. If you can conceive of such a sight then you must be among the gods who created this anomaly of both space and senses.
I spent hours at that door, sick to my bones with its beauty and perfection. There was no redeeming my old life now, no going back to what I once knew. It was then I realized I had no choice. The architects of this mathematical display had obliged me to continue. And so I decided to continue. I reached out and grabbed the beautiful handle - it delighted to touch! I turned the knob and Iā¦
Opened the door
Get on the floor
Everybody walk the dinosaur
Anonymous at Sat, 9 Nov 2024 16:59:37 UTC No. 16468404
>>16468362
>>16468382
LIBRO PAR EXCELLENCE
Anonymous at Sun, 10 Nov 2024 23:21:12 UTC No. 16470092
Bravo! Good show !
Anonymous at Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:30:24 UTC No. 16470163
>>16468342
You can't force yourself to like something.
Anonymous at Mon, 11 Nov 2024 01:08:47 UTC No. 16470209
Look deeper.
The sublime is mostly a result of comprehending the unifying principles underlying several abstract notions that are on first glance not closely related. It takes work and effort to really catch a glimpse of that sublime, unifying harmony.
That such an explosion of organized complexity can arise from the entirely intangible mental abstractions we encounter in mathematics, I think that's where the sense of awe and wonder arises.
There's nothing quite like the feeling when working away at a problem and finding an identity derived from entirely different circumstances appearing before you.
Anonymous at Mon, 11 Nov 2024 01:14:19 UTC No. 16470224
>>16468382
>>16468362
Bravo! Bravo anon! Superb!
Anonymous at Mon, 11 Nov 2024 08:38:36 UTC No. 16470541
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1
Anonymous at Mon, 11 Nov 2024 09:12:08 UTC No. 16470568
Take an analysis class from a university. You'll either be filtered or like it
Anonymous at Mon, 11 Nov 2024 10:12:55 UTC No. 16470606
>>16470163
I already like it. I just want to appreciate it. There were novels I had read which I liked, but didn't understand or appreciate; until my second reading of them, thenceforth appreciating them at a higher level.
Anonymous at Tue, 12 Nov 2024 06:42:39 UTC No. 16471726
>>16470606
The thing about math is that, aside from some funky-looking shapes and odd number sequences, most of math isn't really about beauty. Attempting to find "beauty" in mathematics is like attempting to be aroused by a woman hiding under a full-body burqa that is not only married but also utterly uninterested in you. She will never pay attention to uou and she has nothing to owe you. There are prostitutes out there who will have sex with you for cheap, but if you want this ultra-puranical, stern-headed woman who has no interest in being your dear, then I guess no one will stop you, but be warned that it will be difficult to gain much pleausre from it.
Instead, what people gain from mathematics is like the kind of feeling people get from games, especially from logic puzzles. It's not so much the wonder, the amazement, as much as it's the mental effort required in deriving a solution that people feel a boost from. They enjoy proving the odd but traceable, that which has an answer but is difficult to figure out, and what people enjoy the most from it is not so much the result as much as it's the actual process of having to think to figure out the answer. It feels like mental exercise rather than as the free ramblings of a thinker. It is hard, rigorous, and can only accept as a valid answer that which is true.
Mathematics requires discipline to be made use of and be explored, not merely enjoyment or artistic appreciation.