{Catastrophe Theory [continued (9)]}[26th September 1988]

[Redbook5:363][19880926:1545i]{Catastrophe Theory [continued (9)]}[26th September 1988]

19880926.1545

[continued]

After all,* for dealing with the imprecisions of Human life, we have developed a beautifully imprecise and resonant symbol-system: language. Pictorial symbols are even more comprehensive and generally resonant; mathematical symbols, on the other hand, are more specific and seem not to be resonant at all, except perhaps to non-mathematicians [sic]. A lot of these strange empirical mathematical theories seem to involve mathematicians trying to understand a non-mathematical World in mathematical terms, by stretching mathematics.

But perhaps that is uncharitable.

*[See last previous entries]

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