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What are they really creating ? pure ideas that somehow mirror reality through their propositions is what I think and some others but the question is too philosophically complicated to try to hash out here. Math does make you think about the world in a different way or look at the world in a different way but you would not know because you suck at math :
Knowing mathematics is like wearing a pair of X-ray specs that reveal hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of the world. Math is a science of not being wrong about things, its techniques and habits hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. With the tools of mathematics in hand, you can understand the world in a deeper, sounder, and more meaningful way. -- Jordan Ellenberg famous Mathematician
There is a sense of power connected with such calculations which is hard to explain but which somehow involves a mental encompassing of the world. For instance, Archimedes once said give me a lever long enough to stand on and I can lift the world. A modern day Archimedian question might be one that Donald Knuth poses is how many little cubes 10-13 centimeters in diameter (1/10 the diameter of these nucleons) would fit into the universe.
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One rarely discussed consequence of innumeracy is its link with belief in pseudoscience .... In a society where genetic engineering, laser technology, and microchip circuits etc.. are daily adding to our understanding of the world, it's especially sad that a significant portion of our adult population still believes in Tarot cards, channeling mediums, and crystal power.
Even more ominous is the gap between scientists' assessments of various risks and the popular perceptions of those risks, a gap that threatens eventually to lead either to unfounded and crippling anxieties or to impossible and economically paralyzing demands for risk-free guarantees.
Politicians are seldom a help in this regard since they deal with public opinion and are therefore loath to clarify the likely hazards and trade-offs associated with almost any policy.
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--John Allen Paulos famous mathematician
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