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Article 5260 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: clarke@acme.ucf.edu (Thomas Clarke)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Peano and the commerce of ideas and representations
Message-ID: <1992Apr24.122027.20230@cs.ucf.edu>
Date: 24 Apr 92 12:20:27 GMT
References: <kv3lf9INNe8g@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
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Organization: University of Central Florida
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In article <kv3lf9INNe8g@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> silber@orfeo.Eng.Sun.COM (Eric  
Silber) writes:
> Assert for the purpose of disputation that "real mathematical objects"
> exist independent of the physical world.
> 
> Hence  Integer-3 for which "3" is a physical representation, exists
> independent of the physical world.
> 
>  Does Integer-3 know that it is an integer?
>  Does Integer-3 know what its successor is?
> 
Why does Integer-3 have to be intelligent?

Perhaps Kronecker's aphorism is relevant:  "God created the integers.  All the  
rest is the work of man."

Some days I lean toward an alternative:  God created the continuum, all the ...

Also, if I understand Hawking and collaborators correctly, they maintain that  
this universe exists because it is the only mathematically consistent  
possibility without boundary conditions.  This rather blurs the distinction  
between mathematical objects and the physical world.


