RE: seti@home IS WORKING

Rob Harris Cen-IT (Rob.Harris@bournemouth.gov.uk)
Thu, 15 Jul 1999 13:08:22 +0100

> You don't know enough about math for your opinion to count. No insult
> intended.
>
It's true, I know zilch about math, but I don't hold this as relevant. I argue with statements made such as below:

> Math is math, and is the same math everywhere in the universe.
>
You and everyone else on this planet have absolutely no evidence whatsoever for this immense assumption. It doensn't matter that maths can describe most things we have encountered...it may not be the exact tool that dissimilar civilisations use. True, there are probably basic similarities, but no way will I buy that any civilisation would certainly understand one of our equations when faced with it, even having explained the symbols etc... Basic concepts such as why, how, systems thinking and linear time may not be as they are here due to the brain (or equivalent) structure of the observers, providing a very different perspective from which to view and therefore describe the universe.

> Any species more advanced than us is going to KNOW any math that we
> know.
>
They will know the natural systems/laws/relationships that the math describes, yes, but no way will they definitely describe it in exactly the same way as us.

> They will know other maths, but if they are interested in
> communicating with primitve species, they will use maths that are common
> among primitive societies.
>
If such commonality exists.

Remember - in all this, I MERELY point out that you people CANNOT be as cocksure as you seem that all civilisations throughout the universe will use math exactly as we use it.



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