# Was math discovered or invented?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-math-discovered-or-invented/200075>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 7, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-math-discovered-or-invented/200075 "2003-09-07T10:39:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Deep\_Throat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@Deep\_Throat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deep_Throat)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-math-discovered-or-invented/200075/21 "2003-09-09T01:49:36Z")

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Hmm, to make it simple…

Math is to discovered as Calculus is to invented!

:smack:

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**Author:** ![FairDink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed8c4c/32.png) [@FairDink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairDink)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-math-discovered-or-invented/200075/22 "2003-09-09T02:05:11Z")

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Thanks for the I _will_ read the novel… Eventually.

Hey, I just ‘realized’, according to my formula [above], making friends is easy:

Communication - Thinking = Friends!!!

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**Author:** ![FairDink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed8c4c/32.png) [@FairDink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairDink)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-math-discovered-or-invented/200075/23 "2003-09-09T02:06:49Z")

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Thanks for the recomendation, that is.

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**Author:** ![FairDink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed8c4c/32.png) [@FairDink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairDink)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-math-discovered-or-invented/200075/24 "2003-09-09T02:32:00Z")

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Sorry about having three posts in a row (maybe it could be a title for a new thread: **Is FairDink trying to increase his posts** ).

But I guess the conclusion is (correct me if i’m wrong) that it depends on which part of mathematics you are refering to?!?!?

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**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-math-discovered-or-invented/200075/25 "2003-09-09T03:01:44Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by FairDink_  
> Thanks for the recommendation. I will read the novel… Eventually.

Here’s the [Amazon.com listing](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312963009/qid=1063076498/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-2590510-6201719) for John Darnton’s Neanderthal.

> [@](#):
>
> But I guess the conclusion is (correct me if i’m wrong) that it depends on which part of mathematics you are refering to?!?!?

In a nutshell, yes. That’s why my first post to this thread stated that neither of the two extremes of “discovered” or “invented” accurately captured the nature of mathematics.

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