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daikatana t1_j1v36hh wrote

What is "Earth-based math?" I'm genuinely curious why you'd think math would be specific to Earth. If you were to imagine an Martian civilization completely separate from Earth, completely different species, who also develop mathematics, they're going to have the same concepts of the numbers, basic operations, etc. Math is less of an invention and more of a discovery.

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Sam_Jack_ t1_j1vb0xv wrote

It's more of a language than anything, you speak a language that has a certain structure let's say english but if you don't know chinese you can't really understand it, do you?

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Pas7alavista t1_j1vz649 wrote

It's not a valid comparison because mathematics is based on statements that are self evidently true. The language we use to describe those truths is completely independent from the meaning behind the symbols.

A sufficiently advanced species is more than likely going to have a syntax that is completely alien to us. However, they would certainly be describing many of the same things that we do.

Think about something fundamental like a circle. I don't care what language or symbols you use to describe it, because if you gave me enough time I would be able to tell exactly what you mean. The concept and meaning behind a circle exists independently of the syntax used to describe it.

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Sam_Jack_ t1_j1wz8sm wrote

But you understand that circle with your human logics, you can't see it through smell for example

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Pas7alavista t1_j1y0uc4 wrote

Logic is universal it has nothing to do with being a human.

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Sam_Jack_ t1_j1y5eqz wrote

Still, it's a human construct, let's not be so cocky about the way we understand what we understand

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Pas7alavista t1_j21gyxh wrote

Pick any tautology and write it down in any language you choose. That statement will be always be true regardless of what symbols you use to represent it.

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