Re: ROADMAP (well, not yet really...

From: Bruno Marchal <marchal.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:28:08 +0200

Ante diem XVII-um calendas Septembris as Aug. 15 (not XVI as 32-16)
John M wrote:


>
> Bruno:
>
> What is - 6 - ?
> Perfect number, you say.
> If I do NOT count - or quantize, does it have ANY meaning at all?


Again we are discussing the arithmetical realism (which I just assume).
To be clear on that hypothesis, I do indeed find plausible that the
number six is perfect, even in the case the "branes would not have
collide, no big bang, no physical universe".
Six is perfect just because its divisors are 1, 2, and 3; and that
1+2+3 = 6. Not because I know that. I blieve the contrary: it is the
independent truth of "6 = sum of its proper divisors" than eventually
I, and you, can learn it.




> I don't see sense in saying it is more than 5 and less than 7 if I do
> not
> know the meaning of 5 and 7 as well. And of 6 of course.


I agree. It does not make sense YOU SAYING that "5 < 6 < 7", if YOU
don't know the meaning of 5, and 6, and 7; unless you are lucky when
deciding to say random sentences ('course).
It has nothing to do with the fact that 5 < 6 < 7, independently of you
and me. Just keep silent, in case you are not sure about the meaning of
5, 6, and 7.




> Without quantification, what does "6" mean? Why is it perfect? In
> what?
> Try to cut out 'counting' and 'quantities' - let us regard the symbol
> '6'.
> What does it symbolize?
> I can understand it in 2+4=6 on an abacus, but there it is 'counting'
> bullets.


If you want, numbers are what makes any counting possible.



> What is it in the preceding line?
> In old Rome 8-3=6 was the right result (as in their back-counting
> calendar
> as 8,7,6 - they included the starting (day) into the subtraction), now
> 8-2
> make 6 - 6 what?


It is not because some country put salt on pancakes that pancakes do
not exist there. Roman where writing 8 -3 for us 8 - 2. It is like
saying 3*7 = 25 on planet TETRA. They mean 3*7 = 21, they just put it
differently.

Bruno

http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/


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Received on Wed Aug 16 2006 - 09:44:17 PDT

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