Rivers of India
"God is a Mathematician", so said Sir James Jeans1. In a series of popular and influential books, written in the 1930s, the British astronomer and physicist suggested that the universe arises out of pure thought that is couched in the language of abstract mathematics. But why should God think only in mathematics? After all, some of most impressive achievements of the human race have involved architecture, poetry, drama and art. Could the essence of the universe not equally be captured in a symphony, or unfolded within a poem?
Three centuries earlier, Galileo had written, "Nature's great book is written in mathematical language" an opinion that has wholeheartedly been endorsed by physicists of our own time. Mathematics today occupies such an important position in physics that some commentators have argued that it has begun to lead and direct research in physics. In a frontier field , called Superstrings, some critics are arguing that mathematics is actually filling in the gaps left by the lack of any deep physical ideas. But why should mathematics play such a powerful role in physics? Is its central position inevitable? And is the present marriage between physics and mathematics always healthy, or are there ways in which mathematics may, at times, block creativity? In this essay I want to explore, in a speculative and free-wheeling way, some possible answers to these questions and to make some suggestions as to some radical developments in a language for the physical world.
The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics remains an open question, although I have given some suggestions as to why it appears to work. I have also argued that mathematics may not always be as effective as we suppose, for physical ideas are sometimes forced to fit a particular mathematical language, in other cases the very facility of the language itself may drive physics forward, irrespective of any new physical ideas!
I have also suggested ways in which improvements in the formal
Three centuries earlier, Galileo had written, "Nature's great book is written in mathematical language" an opinion that has wholeheartedly been endorsed by physicists of our own time. Mathematics today occupies such an important position in physics that some commentators have argued that it has begun to lead and direct research in physics. In a frontier field , called Superstrings, some critics are arguing that mathematics is actually filling in the gaps left by the lack of any deep physical ideas. But why should mathematics play such a powerful role in physics? Is its central position inevitable? And is the present marriage between physics and mathematics always healthy, or are there ways in which mathematics may, at times, block creativity? In this essay I want to explore, in a speculative and free-wheeling way, some possible answers to these questions and to make some suggestions as to some radical developments in a language for the physical world.
The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics remains an open question, although I have given some suggestions as to why it appears to work. I have also argued that mathematics may not always be as effective as we suppose, for physical ideas are sometimes forced to fit a particular mathematical language, in other cases the very facility of the language itself may drive physics forward, irrespective of any new physical ideas!
I have also suggested ways in which improvements in the formal