The Numerology Letdown
Numerology has long been a disappointment to mathematicians. The failed romance of numerology goes back to Pythagoras. He proclaimed that number rules the universe; and in a sense we are all Pythagoreans now. (But reformed Pythagoreans; the square root of two and all that.)
You would think that if number rules the universe, then the numbers themselves should be relevant to everyday life; but no. Yes, harmonious musical chords are based on integer ratios; and yes, the sum of the squares of the sides of a right triangle equals the square of the diagonal; these Pythagorean insights are valid; but “five equals marriage” is not. The applications of mathematics deal with the numbers as a class, not as individuals.
Numbers are like Hollywood stars; they have properties and relationships, but no personalities.
No comments:
Post a Comment