Eugine_Nier comments on AALWA: Ask any LessWronger anything - Less Wrong

28 Post author: Will_Newsome 12 January 2014 02:18AM

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Comment author: Eugine_Nier 12 January 2014 10:28:11PM 0 points [-]

Well, in analytic number theory, for example, there are many heuristic arguments that have a causality like flavor; however, the proofs of the statements in question are frequently unrelated to the heuristics.

Also, this is a discussion about the causal relationship between a theorem and its proof.

Comment author: IlyaShpitser 12 January 2014 10:47:49PM *  0 points [-]

I don't know much about analytic number theory, could you be more specific? I didn't follow the discussion you linked very well, because they say things like "Pearlian causality is not counterfactual", or think that there is any relationship between implication and causation. Neither is true.