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Mathematics is heuristic. It
can only model or approximate our observable reality.
For example, lets use a well
known mathematical constant, PI. Anyone can take a compass and draw a circle.
We now simply want to know the relationship between the diameter of that circle
and it's circumference, something that is clearly observable. Mathematics
must use a number which can never be precisely defined to describe this obvious
relationship.
Let us concern ourselves
with something everyone knows: a feeling. Everyone has feelings. I wonder how
many mathematical equations it would take to describe a feeling? The answer is,
of course, that mathematics could never describe a feeling. Yet feelings
are what life is all about. Mathematics has gotten so esoteric, so
divorced from the experiences of mankind in this universe, that we begin
talking about n-dimensional spaces and the energies which supposedly exist
there, in an attempt to explain the lack of matter in the universe, when there
is no observable or experimental evidence to indicate that such higher
dimensions exist. These higher dimensions are only INFERRED from the
mathematical postulations which cannot adequately explain phenomena in our
universe in the first place!
If a mathematician objects
to the idea that feeling is the bedrock and most important basis of life, then
I ask: why does a mathematician do mathematics? The answer is, if truth be told, because it feels good. There is beauty and great satisfaction in
mathematics, but these are feelings.
Why am I ranting about
feelings and bad-mouthing mathematics? Because science often pooh-poohs
assertions which cannot be 'proved' by mathematical methods or logic, but
science knows it only has part of the answer and only understands part of the
picture. The language of science is mathematics, and surely we couldn't do
without it, but mathematics must be understood in its proper place: it is
a tool for ANALYTICAL understanding of the universe around us. And quite
frankly, if you study the history of science you will find many examples of
sudden inspiration causing a scientific breakthrough, or a happy accident
resulting in a new discovery (like the discovery of the transistor)
Inspiration is a feeling, accompanied by a new awareness. First comes the new
awareness, then comes the mathematical description of the new phenomenon.
What has happening in
science for the past 100 years has largely been determined by mathematics, not
observation. Einstein, through a series of clever thought experiments,
developed his special and general theory of relativity, which was later
confirmed by observation. Black holes were postulated mathematically before
they were observed. Physicists now postulate a theory called superstring
theory, which can not only explain the confusing proliferation of subatomic
particles and their characteristics, but gravity as well. But this theory can
never really be tested and according to
Michio Kaku in his article entitled ‘The Theory of Everything,’
“Personally, I think that the problem
will be solved by pure mathematics. Once the theory (superstring theory) is
solved completely, it should yield not just the origin of the universe, but it
should also perfectly match the masses of the quarks, leptons, Higgs particles
and others.” In science, we are moving more and more into the realms of pure thought,
and then we are discovering phenomena
to match our thinking
Mathematics is a tool of the
analytical mind. It is Mind's way of making sense of the world around us.
Emotion and feeling are probably dissectible, as they are just energy. Emotion
is sometimes described as energy-in-motion, and that is what it sometimes 'feels'
like. But the FEELING of this emotion cannot be described by mathematics.
Mathematics is divorced from feelings, and never the twain shall meet.
Emotions and feelings are
perceived the way they are through our vibrational interpreters, the senses.
Mathematics may eventually be able to describe the exact geometric
composition of the energy of an emotion or a feeling, but it will never be able
to describe how that energy is perceived by an individual consciousness. THAT
perception of energy is the most important, intimate and personal thing
each being has, and is unique and innate to each individual focused
consciousness.
Feeling / Emotion is
something completely intimate and personal which mathematics may describe
analytically, but can never do more than probe on the surface.
Feeling / Emotion is intimate to life and to consciousness itself and depends
upon the unique awareness of the individual perceiver.
I will close with a joke
that may shed a little light on what I'm trying to say.
A group of dairy farmers were
having difficulty with milk production. Their cows just did not seem to produce
as much milk as they used to. The Ag Department couldn't figure it out,
so in desperation they went to the University of Iowa and contacted some
mathematicians and physicists to see what they had to say. The scientists came
out for an entire day (this was during the summer, there were no classes),
examined the cows, the facilities, the whole deal. They told the farmers
"in two weeks we will have an answer for you."
You can bet that at the appointed hour every dairy farmer in the county was
present for the findings.
A distinguished gray-haired physicist got up from the front row, went to the
chalk board and began: "Consider a spherical cow of uniform
density…."