Luke_A_Somers comments on Intuitions Aren't Shared That Way - Less Wrong

31 Post author: lukeprog 29 November 2012 06:19AM

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Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 03 December 2012 08:24:11PM 0 points [-]

Math is how you connect inferences. The results of mathematics are of the form 'if X, Y, and Z, then A'... so, find cases where X, Y, and Z, and then check A.

It doesn't even need to be a practical problem. Every time you construct an example, that counts.

Comment author: Peterdjones 03 December 2012 09:21:26PM *  1 point [-]

I don't see how that addresses the problem. You have said that there is one kind of truth/meanignullness, based on modelling relaity, and then you describe mathematical truth in a form that doens't match that. If any domain can have its own standards of truth, then astrologers can say there merhcandise is "astrologically true". You have anything goes.

This stuff is a tricky , typically philophsical problem because the obvious answers all have problems. Saying that all truth is correspondence means that either mathematical Platonism holds -- mathematical truths correspond to the status quo in Plato's heaven--or maths isn't meaningful/true at all. Or truth isn't correspondence, it's anything goes.

I don't think those problems are iresolvable, and EY has in fact suggested (but not originated) what I think is a promissing approach.

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 04 December 2012 06:49:20PM *  0 points [-]

How does it not match? Take the 4 color problem. It says you're not going to be able to construct a minimally-5-color flat map. Go ahead. Try.

That's the kind of example I'm talking about here. The examples are artificial, but by constructing them you are connecting the math back to reality. Artificial things are real.

If any domain can have its own standards of truth, then astrologers can say there merhcandise is "astrologically true".

What? How is holding everything is held to the standard of 'predict accurately or you're wrong' the same as 'anything goes'?

I mean, if astrology just wants to be a closed system that never ever says anything about the outside world... I'm not interested in it, but it suddenly ceases to be false.

Comment author: Peterdjones 05 December 2012 11:22:01AM -2 points [-]

How does it not match? Take the 4 color problem. It says you're not going to be able to construct a minimally-5-color flat map. Go ahead. Try.

That doesn't matfch reality because it would still be true in universes with different laws of physics.

'predict accurately or you're wrong' the same as 'anything goes'?

It isn't. It's a standard of truth that too narrow to include much of maths.

I mean, if astrology just wants to be a closed system that never ever says anything about the outside world

That doens't follow. Astrologers can say their merchandise is about the world, and true, but not true in a way that has anything to do with correspondence or prediction.

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 06 December 2012 06:47:32PM *  0 points [-]

That doesn't matfch reality because it would still be true in universes with different laws of physics.

If you're in a different universe with different laws of physics, your implementation of the 4 color problem will have to be different. Your failure to correctly map between math and reality isn't math's problem. Math, as noted above, is of the form 'if X and Y and Z, then A' - and you can definitely arrange formal equivalents to X, Y, and Z by virtue of being able to express the math in the first place.

That doens't follow. Astrologers can say their merchandise is about the world, and true, but not true in a way that has anything to do with correspondence or prediction.

It's about the world but it doesn't correspond to anything in the world? Then the correspondence model of truth has just said they're full of shit. <voice actress="Hayashibara Megumi">Victoreeee!</voice>

(note: above 'victory' claim is in reference to astrologers, not you)

Comment author: Bugmaster 03 December 2012 09:55:24PM 0 points [-]

Right, but as Peterdjones said, in this case you have a meaningful system that does not correspond to anything besides, possibly, itself.

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 04 December 2012 06:50:06PM 0 points [-]

Example, please?

Comment author: Peterdjones 06 December 2012 07:07:36PM *  -1 points [-]

Physics uses a subset of maths, so the rest would be examples of vald (I am substituing that for "meaninful", which I am not sure how t apply here) maths that doesn;t correspond to anything external, absent Platonism.

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 06 December 2012 09:54:32PM 0 points [-]

But you can BUILD something that corresponds to that thing.

Comment author: Peterdjones 07 December 2012 11:16:54AM -1 points [-]

Which thing, and why does that matter?