So, is math ability synonymous with intelligence/thinking ability, or do you agree with my assessment that math is just a specific skill in the wider scheme of intelligence? Do you think its more important for me to learn math or just get over it? — Avidya
I have a hard time with numbers. I could blame it at school, but that would only be partially true, because almost every other pupil exceeded me at math. Being almost innumerate hurts my self confidence. — Avidya
It seems to me there are two types of thinking that I call "System 1" and "System 2". System 1 is the intutive, creative and visual part of your mind -- the part that instantly understands words without having to analyze them, and the part that engages in metaphorical and visual thinking. I consider myself fairly skilled in this department, because I have an intuitive sense for language, writing and visualization. I find that philosophers are generally very skilled in this department, and uses brilliant metaphors to describe the nature of reality. It seems to me that philosophy entails mind activity beyond mathematics and symbols to get to the very fabric of existence. — Avidya
I also recognize two types of thinking. I call them making crap up and learning. Some people just make crap up, because they are to lazy to go out and learn. For example some people are bad at math, because they don't try hard enough and make excuses. — Jeremiah
The numbers in math are fiction, they are creation of human mind, ever noticed how identical they are, each consist of equal parts of another. Super abstract concept. The numbers are not made up like this: zero is all embracing, 1 is , o well, I can't change what it is, it is just any first count of anything, that particular, you see. why 2 should be 1 and 1? Why can't it be it's own size independent of 1? 1 elephant is of course different than 1 geese or 1 ant... 1 planet is different from another 1 planet. Then we try to create farther, we came up with odd and even numbers! They do not exist! Anything can be divided equally by any number, at least sufficiently equally, in a quantitative sense, it's up to our abilities to do so. If we start speaking of qualitative division, oh, we'd be so screwed. Qualitative is different, you see. It has to align with each individual desire or necessity or personal, subjective value. Someone decide three of us can eat each a portion of dog stake. I will remain hungry because I won't eat the dog or I won't eat human flesh, or I won't eat dairy. Why take two people and divide between them four apples? As if in real life people won't be able to share 5 apples if needed? We start with simplifying things to death, falsifying and wrongly naming simplification points of our mind, which actually are called then by us "numbers". What do they numb? They numb our desire to really understand Universe and accept it for what it is. The Universe is not number, it is math-less mass or entity, or phenomenon. Why there can not be true global market? For the qualitative reasons of what's offered and what people are ready to accept and make use of without harming or remaking who they were for the most of their history. — Victoria Nova
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