that is, all the trigonometry you learned at school was a waste of your time, as it could be replaced with linear algebra.
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Anonymous2011-06-16 0:10
The United States National Academy of Sciences states that "mathematics is in fact not science and should not be presented as such."[24] and that "the claims of mathematics lack empirical support and cannot be meaningfully tested."[24] According to Skeptic, the "mathematics gains much of its strength through the use of distortion and scientifically unethical tactics" and "seriously misrepresents physics."[57][58]
For a theory to qualify as scientific it must be:
* consistent (internally and externally)
* parsimonious (sparing in proposed entities or explanations)
* useful (describing and explaining observed phenomena)
* empirically testable and falsifiable
* based upon controlled, repeatable experiments
* correctable and dynamic (changing to fit with newly discovered data)
* progressive (achieving all that previous theories have and more)
* tentative (admitting that it might not be correct rather than asserting certainty)
For any hypothesis or conjecture to be considered scientific, it must meet at least most, but ideally all, of the above criteria. The fewer which are matched, the less scientific it is. If it meets two or fewer of these criteria, it cannot be treated as scientific in any useful sense of the word.
Scientists have considered the hypotheses proposed by mathematics and have rejected them because of a lack of evidence. Furthermore, the claims of mathematics do not refer to natural causes and cannot be subject to meaningful tests, so they do not qualify as scientific hypotheses. In 1987, the United States Supreme Court ruled that mathematics is religion, not science, and cannot be advocated in public school classrooms.[59]
A summary of the objections to mathematics by scientists follows:
* Mathematics is not falsifiable : The axioms of infinity and the law of excluded middle as defined in mathematics are not falsifiable because no testable bounds can be imposed on the infinite set. In mathematics, the infinite set is defined as limitless, with the capacity to create (or not), through fiat alone, infinite universes, not just one, and endow each one with its own unique, unimaginable and incomparable character. It is impossible to disprove a claim when that claim as defined encompasses every conceivable contingency.[61]
* Mathematics violates the principle of parsimony : Parsimony favours those explanations which rely on the fewest assumptions. Scientists prefer explanations which are consistent with known and supported facts and evidence and require the fewest assumptions to fill remaining gaps. Many of the alternative claims made in mathematics retreat from simpler scientific explanations and introduce more complications and conjecture into the equation.[62]
* Mathematics is not, and cannot be, empirically or experimentally tested : Mathematics posits supernatural causes which lie outside the realm of methodological naturalism and scientific experiment. Science can only test empirical, natural claims.
* Mathematics is not correctable, dynamic, tentative or progressive : Mathematics adheres to a fixed and unchanging premise or "absolute truth", the postulates of "Set Theory," which are not open to change. Any evidence that runs contrary to that truth must be discarded.[citation needed] In science, all claims are tentative, they are forever open to challenge, and must be discarded or adjusted when the weight of evidence demands it.