Philosophy: Do numbers exist?

Go on, tell me - do numbers exist?

To the same degree as every adjective, emotion & direction, yes.

More than u know it!

Numbers are an invent to allow count things, that we bother to count

I could use the goblin tactic count: nothing, something, a lot.

only zero in the meaning of nothing exists

I disagree - numbers do exist.

Let me give an argument - when I first learnt to count, I used my fingers. I counted 1, 2, 3 fingers, all the way up to 10 fingers. But then, if numbers did not exist, if I saw 10 bottles I would not be able to count them, because if numbers did not exist I would not be able to grasp the concept of numerical values. There must be some intuition or sixth sense that enables me to see into the world of numbers and identify in the same way that there are 10 fingers that there are 10 bottles.

*confused*

Yet there is and never was a need to count the bottles to begin with. It's an unnecessary thought process invented by man to quantify things as opposed to simply accepting on true faith that quite simply bottles exist.

Need is irrelevant. The truth is. The fact that there are 10 bottles there is true. It doesn't matter whether man needs to count the bottles, or indeed, count anything, in the same way man never needed to know the Sun is a burning ball of gas, or that the world is round. Nevertheless, it is a fact that the Sun is a burning ball of gas. It is a fact the world is round. In the same way, it is a fact there are 10 bottles.

Therefore, numbers must exist.

It isnt written in stone that the sun is a burning ball of gas. In fact, just about everything man or creature has ever done can be discredited simply by knowing that a man or creature came up with the logic behind it.

So numbers do not exist. They are flawed and irrelevant tools for man. Truth lies with faith, rather than mislead hypothesis.

Numbers do exist, for they are in nature, Fibbonaci (sp?) numbers are found in many natural and living things.

I believe in fundamental truths - truths that have been truth before humans existed and truths that will continue to exist even when humans do not. Am I right in assuming that you believe all truths are made from humans Dish?

When we start with the sequence 1,-1/2, 1/2, -1/3, 1/3, -1/4....then it seems that each negative term cancels the succeeding positive term. Hence, the sum of this sequence has to be 1. Thus

1 + (-1/2) + 1/2 + (-1/3) + 1/3 + ... = 1.

Regrouping terms should not change the sum, so

(1-1/2) + (1/2 - 1/3) + (1/3 - 1/4) + (1/4 - 1/5) + ... = 1

If we use the relation 1/8 - 1/9 = (9-8 )/(8*9) = 1/8*9;
1/14 - 1/15 = (15-14)/14*15 = 1/14*15 etc.

Hence, we obtain the interesting formula

1/1*2 + 1/2*3 + 1/3*4 + 1/4*5 + ... = 1.

On the other hand, we can use that 1/2*3 = -1/2 + 2/3; 1/3*4 = -2/3 + 3/4, 1/4*5 = -3/4+4/5 etc. and obtain

1 = 1/1*2 + 1/ 2*3 + 1/3*4 + ... = 1/2-1/2 +2/3 -2/3 +3/4-3/4 + ... = 0

EXPLAIN THAT STANNY BOY :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

StanWephen wrote:I believe in fundamental truths - truths that have been truth before humans existed and truths that will continue to exist even when humans do not. Am I right in assuming that you believe all truths are made from humans Dish?

Each and every truth laid out in any form to the human mind has to be conveyed by human thought and therefore has to be interpreted by the human brain.

So yes, all truths, whether regarded as textbook fundamental, logical, or otherwise are still human truths and can be proven wrong on the logic that there is no perfect human so there is no perfect human thought.

And before humans existed you wouldnt know what was a fundamental truth or not.