Name: Daniella Ethel M.

Paraiso Section: BSTM 1-1AA

Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered?

Mathematics is perhaps the most fascinating and peculiar discipline, not only
because it employs abstract concepts to describe the physical world, but also because it
is the foundation of all sciences; physics would be made irrelevant without it. It's
especially unusual since it's about a topic that's based on rigorous evidence and
concrete facts, but is then immersed in philosophy because the things on which it's built
(integers and axioms) exist only via assumption. No one can be completely certain
when they say that Mathematics was developed or discovered; each side of the debate
has its own set of arguments, and as a result, it is an interesting matter with no right or
wrong answer.
Over the years, people have debated about this and even now and they have
taken sides in the debate over the nature of mathematics, and will continue to do so.
These are known as platonism and nominalism, respectively. Mathematical objects (as
well as mathematical connections and structures) exist and are abstract, according to
platonism; that is, they are not located in space or time and have no causal relationship
with humans. Although this categorization of abstract things is essentially negative—
indicating what such objects are not—it captures the critical features the objects in issue
are intended to have in the setting of mathematics. According to nominalism,
mathematical concepts (including henceforth, mathematical connections and structures)
do not exist, or at least do not need to be supposed to exist in order for humans to
comprehend mathematics. As a result, it is the nominalist's responsibility to demonstrate
how mathematics may be interpreted.
Is math, once again, invented or discovered? It's a combination of both. Indeed, I
believe that people develop mathematical ideas such as numbers, forms, sets, and lines
by abstracting them from their surroundings. They then go on to uncover the intricate
links between the notions they created, which are known as mathematical theorems.
References:
Bueno, & Otávio. (2013, September 16). Nominalism in the Philosophy of Mathematics
(Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nominalism-mathematics/
Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered? - 1539 Words | Cram. (n.d.). Cram.Com.
Retrieved September 30, 2021, from https://www.cram.com/essay/Is-
Mathematics-Invented-Or-Discovered/FKE49X9GR445
Livio, M. (2015, April 13). Math: Discovered, Invented, or Both? NOVA | PBS.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/great-math-mystery/