I shall only make one more remark on the relation between Mathematics
and Physics. In themselves, one is an operation of the mind, the
other is a dance of molecules. The molecules have laws of their own,
some of which we select as most intelligible to us and most amenable
to our calculation. We form a theory from these partial data, and we
ascribe any deviation of the actual phenomena from this theory to
disturbing causes. At the same time we confess that what we call
disturbing causes are simply those parts of the true circumstances
which we do not know or have neglected, and we endeavour in future to
take account of them. We thus acknowledge that the so-called
disturbance is a mere figment of the mind, not a fact of nature, and
that in natural action there is no disturbance.
But this is not the only way in which the harmony of the material with
the mental operation may be disturbed. The mind of the mathematician
is subject to many disturbing causes, such as fatigue, loss of memory,
and hasty conclusions; and it is found that, from these and other
causes, mathematicians make mistakes.
Pages:
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52