[MD] Metaphysics

[markhsmit]

On Jan 16, 2010, at 11:20:02 AM, Krimel <Krimel at Krimel.com> wrote:
The notions of math can't be wrong if you accept the assumptions that the
mathematician specifies at the outset. However, as a mathematician you are
free to offer other premises, like Lobachevsky and Riemann. But again I
would see this as a problem for the deductive method that does not
necessarily apply to the inductive method.

Saying "the sun is hot" seems to me, at least, to be derived from
experience. It is what Kant would call synthetic truth. The math examples
reveal analytic truth.

Yes, there are many different forms of math.  Math does not reveal analytical
truth, it creates it.  If 1 + 1 = 2 is true, it is only because it is defined as such.
Such a thing does not exist outside of its own structure.  If math is used
to explain something, it is really only explaining itself.  It is a closed loop.
What I meant with the sun is that it is hot only because we have defined
hot in such a way.  The sun is hot, it is hot because it is the sun.  It is
a closed circle.  It can be made very complicated with endless sets
of references to other things thus creating a mosaic.  But this does
not result in truth, only convention.

I will have to think about how this ties in with deductive and inductive.

Mark