Is math discovered or invented? - Jeff Dekofsky

Explore some of the most famous arguments in the ancient debate: is math a human construct or part of the fabric of the universe?

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Would mathematics exist if people didn't? Did we create mathematical concepts to help us understand the world around us, or is math the native language of the universe itself? Jeff Dekofsky traces some famous arguments in this ancient and hotly debated question.

Lesson by Jeff Dekofsky, animation by The Tremendousness Collective.

[walangid]

We discovered math, but we invented numbers and symbols to understand them

[jamesweber_dev]

Best answer I've heard: The questions are invented, the answers are discovered

[lillyfeldman]

I feel like mathematics is a language to describe things. The language is made up but, just like having a word for something can make it easier to understand, math can make all the patterns in our universe clearer.

[woodenofclubs]

It depends on what you interpret "mathematics" as. If you mean the language, concepts and symbols we use to model the world around us, then it is invented. If you mean the inherent nature of numbers and forms in the world, then it is discovered. An alien civilization would most likely have a different system of mathematics that would look foreign to us, but ultimately the underlying concepts and inherent nature of their system would be the same.

[thangamuthur]

This is why I like science. It never hesitate to question even itself.

[veidt]

My basic two cents: Mathematical principles are discovered but we invent ways to understand them.

[Nonamelol.]

To this day I still can’t wrap my head around how geniuses used mathematics to learn things about science and the universe.

[MindinViolet]

This is a great overview of both sides. I find this subject fascinating, as it is a window into a facet of reality that seems to be beyond our perception.

[SNFDNSD]

Maths is fun when you know what you're doing.

[Derpninja]

Math is like a language used to describe things that already exist. Math wouldn't even have been invented if it weren't describing something already there that works.

[ronkirk]

I asked my math teacher this very question when I started taking calculus for an engineering degree because I was so blown away by the way the natural world around us could be described mathematically. I guess it is still an open question, but I enjoyed your brief video explanation anyway.

[kubolor]

I just got high and discovered a random math formula and tripping out about the whole experience is what brought me here. The world is all making sense now, and to think I was horrible at math in school. I’m a filmmaker. Everything material is related and math is a language used to explore how they relate.

[bronzetoxic]

I love how everybody suddenly becomes philosopers after watching a 5 minute youtube video

[seanlee]

maths is the logic of the universe translated into a form that humans can understand.

[akira_asahi]

Thank you for the video. I am grateful for your time and contribution. Kind regards, Akira.

[NousSpeak]

Kind wish there was a longer version of this that went into more detail.

[Commander_HW]

its invented to keep me from finishing college within 4 yrs if ever.

[yobani]

Me: reads title...
Me: ok, now I will know if it's invented or discovered.
Video: also asked if it's invented or discovered.
Me:what?

[Fluffy]

My maths professor always used to say: "Math is a language, you have to speak it to get proficient". The more i learned the more I agreed.

I think math is a man made thing to accurately describe what we can observe, measure or predict in the universe.

[zvhvgmd]

Isn't it the same with language? I could also ask whether there is a tree, if there is no one who could call it a tree. The number of trees is just an enhanced description of the scenario.
There are not so much different math languages, but there are a few. The romans had their own numbers, we have decimal, binary and hexadecimal systems, etc.
As a software developer I'm dealing daily with describing or defining things, using a mix of english, my native language, different programming or markup languages and of course also math.