31 Jul 2005 - 22:15

WichitaBoy on math

We have an embarrassment of riches! At least 2 great comments from WichitaBoy, and Ed sat down and wrote out his constructivism-as-psychoanalysis thoughts, too.

Here's one of WichitaBoy's observations:

"Writing is organizing." Now there's a great thought I can take to the bank.

Here's one back for you: professional mathematics is organizing. You have vague thoughts, you notice a vague pattern, and you try to organize your thoughts, to nail down the pattern, to really clarify what's going on beneath the hood. When you've nailed it completely, when you understand with perfect perspicacity the essence of the pattern, then you've got a proof of a new theorem. If you've really organized it, you've got a theorem that goes in the "Book of God".

There's this, too, in response to my saying that what is brilliant about Saxon Math--the structure--is largely invisible:

Read Confucius or Socrates. The ideal teacher should be able to fade into the background like the Cheshire cat. And so with the ideal textbook.

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