Opinion 159: What is Mathematics and What Should it Be?

By Doron Zeilberger

Written: April 22, 2017

What is Mathematics (as practiced today)?

A religion with its doctrines and dogmas
A game with its (often arbitrary) rules
An (intellectual) athletic competitive sport, akin to Chess and Go
An art form with rigid rules

One thing it is not is a science. Scientists, by definition, are trying to discover the truth about the physical world. Mathematicians do not care about discovering the truth about the mathematical world. All they care about is playing their artificial game, called [rigorous] proving, and observing their strict dogmas.

Let's Make Mathematics a Science Again!

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Opinions of Doron Zeilberger