How Not to Factor a Miracle

DOI10.1007/978-3-319-27495-9_10MaRDI QIDQ2798151zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Derek K. Wise

Publication date 1 April 2016

Published in The Frontiers Collection (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.05217

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Philosophy of mathematics (00A30) Physics (00A79)

Abstract: Wigner's famous and influential claim that mathematics is "unreasonably effective" in physics is founded on unreasonable assumptions about the nature of mathematics and its independence of physics. Here I argue that what is surprising is not the effectiveness of mathematics but the amenability of physics to reductionist strategies. I also argue that while our luck may run out on the effectiveness of reductionism, mathematics is still our best hope for surpassing this obstacle. While I agree that human understanding of the natural world in mathematical terms evinces a miracle, I see no way to factor out the human dimension of this miracle.

Recommendations

• The Miracle has Happened
• The Morley miracle
• The time for miracles is over
• The no miracles argument without the base rate fallacy
• The no miracles argument and the base rate fallacy
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5531019
• How to generate as many Somos-like miracles as you wish^†
• Of miracles and interventions

Cites work

• Solving Wigner's mystery: the reasonable (though perhaps limited) effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences
• The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences. Richard courant lecture in mathematical sciences delivered at New York University, May 11, 1959

Cited in

(3)

• Wigner's puzzle and the Pythagorean heuristic
• The no miracles argument without the base rate fallacy
• How to generate as many Somos-like miracles as you wish^†

This page was built for publication: How Not to Factor a Miracle

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2798151)