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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 1871490" data-attributes="member: 177">Yes.  But you see, you need to begin somewhere.  At some point you have to assume that something is true.  In mathematics, this is called an axiom.  Every formal logical system needs them.It is entirely possble to choose axioms which lead to maths that don't describe anything in our real world.  However, it is easy enough to pick them so that the math does describe what we see.  Right now, though, nobody can tell you why those particular axioms are what work for us.  They are a given of the Universe.  You must simply accept that they are what do the trick.As an example - at the basis of the number system we use is an axiom which can be stated many different ways, but they all equate to "The empty set exists".  There is no way to prove it exists, it must be assumed.  The only consolation we can offer is that this assumption leads to the existance fo the computer you type on - not proof that it is true, but reasonably good evidence <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Actually, mathematics has proven that.  Kurt Godel proved that within any formal logical system with a finite list of axioms, there will exist true statements that cannot be proven within the system.  That is equivalent to saying that not everything in the Universe can be explained off by numbers. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Mind you, the fact that this is true does not mean that a great many things in the Universe can be explained of by numbers.  Godel's work is not an excuse for intellectual lazyness.  The stuff they teach you in trig, geometry and calculus are well within the realm of things that can be proven, no matter how you dislike it <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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