Science

Dr. Strange

(26,058 posts)

18. Yeah...

Wed Jul 8, 2020, 02:19 PM

Jul 2020

but that idea of decolonizing mathematics is less about math and more about the history of math. (Who did what, who came up with what ideas, who stole ideas, etc.) Those are legitimate areas of inquiry, but they're more in the area of history.

It's possible that's what the original tweet meant, but it seems strange to relate it to a more concrete thing like "2 + 2 = 4"; that makes it sound like it's the mathematical theory that's cultural.

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Is the idea of "2 + 2 = 4" cultural? [View all] Dr. Strange Jul 2020 OP

🙄 LakeArenal Jul 2020 #1

Well, considering that she didn't bother to explain what she meant, grumpyduck Jul 2020 #2

Her tweets are protected... Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #6

As a mathematician (I most definitely am not) you might be able to support or reject this idea of chia Jul 2020 #12

Yeah... Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #18

Fine, but they "should" be at least presenting an argument. grumpyduck Jul 2020 #13

Um, no. Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #16

Google still has a cache of the twitter thread muriel_volestrangler Jul 2020 #21

Thanks for finding this. Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #23

so much gobbledygook NRaleighLiberal Jul 2020 #3

Postmodernism janterry Jul 2020 #4

Only when so absolutely drunk that Igel Jul 2020 #26

No. Ron Obvious Jul 2020 #5

It means this was trolling bullshit. Voltaire2 Jul 2020 #7

I might agree with that if she was alone. Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #8

Trolling.nt CatLady78 Jul 2020 #9

The link goes to PJ Media, not inclined to give them clicks chia Jul 2020 #10

I would have preferred to link to the actual tweet. Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #11

I can say that buttering the toast on the top is also a cultural thing. grumpyduck Jul 2020 #14

We should nuke those bastards that butter side down! Lucky Luciano Aug 2020 #40

It means somebody is looking for a shortcut Warpy Jul 2020 #15

Put two eggs on a table. Now put two more. Count the eggs. Regardless of culture, same answer. Midnight Writer Jul 2020 #17

I guess it depends on which number base you're working in... Wounded Bear Jul 2020 #19

And if you're baseless? n/t Igel Jul 2020 #27

I don't know what she means, but she says the "idea" is cultural. Jim__ Jul 2020 #20

That's true. Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #24

I don't believe she's saying it's not true. Jim__ Jul 2020 #25

The symbols used to denote the numbers are cultural. Science is not cultural. applegrove Jul 2020 #22

There are some weird cultural systems involving numbers. Igel Jul 2020 #28

I did not know french was a 20 based system originally. applegrove Jul 2020 #29

I remember learning about different bases in public school. Our teacher applegrove Jul 2020 #31

Base-60 is so horrid we use it every day! BadgerKid Aug 2020 #41

This is the old "who has all the answers" philosophy question put on an especially poor platform. Eugene Jul 2020 #30

Well, as I recall, Alfred Whitehead and Bertrand Russell spent page after page... NNadir Jul 2020 #32

And then along came Gödel and...BOOM! Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #33

Update: we seemed to have made the attack list. Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #34

No one is attacking her, they are attacking a lack of intellectual rigor janterry Jul 2020 #35

That site mentions the tweeting from Keith Devlin. Dr. Strange Jul 2020 #36

Well, if she tweets in public, "attacking" "Western Imperialism" for supporting 2+2 equals 4 muriel_volestrangler Jul 2020 #37

Integer math is fucking bullshit. Counting is a lie. hunter Jul 2020 #38

This is totally gonna invalidate my thesis on equivariant cohomology theories :( Lucky Luciano Aug 2020 #39

Huh? Is she suggesting "western arithmetic pride"? BadgerKid Aug 2020 #42