(OT) Re: Object identity

Just a small off-topic comment:
I don't remember any way to make the square root of a negative number a real
number...
:-D

Note that your sentence betrays an aversion to wanting to treat numbers
as real in any sense whatsoever. You use words like "concept",
"notion", "abstracted". I suppose you say most numbers don't exist
because no one has written them down. I on the other hand am a
Platonist and don't lose any sleep over this, or force myself to
pollute my sentences with lots of additional but meaningless words to
indicate that numbers aren't real.

I consider that we are doing computer science here, and it is
ultimately a branch of (applied) mathematics. Your aversion to
treating numbers as real strikes me as a sure indicator that you are
lacing your arguments with metaphysical viewpoints that are outside the
scope of computer science.
....
Cheers,
David Barrett-Lennard.



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: (OT) Re: Object identity
    ... I don't remember any way to make the square root of a negative number a real ... pollute my sentences with lots of additional but meaningless words to ... I consider that we are doing computer science here, ... Read Plato dialogs: you can't make it, ...
    (comp.object)
  • Naive Square root algorithm for GNFS ?
    ... I am currently writing my master thesis in computer science and one of the ... things I am trying to do is to make a c++ framework for the GNFS algorithm ... method is far to complicated for illustration purposes... ... I simply need the most simple method for the square root part... ...
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  • Re: Naive Square root algorithm for GNFS ?
    ... On Tue, 29 Mar 2005, D. J. Bernstein wrote: ... >> I simply need the most simple method for the square root part... ... Graduate Student at the university of Copenhagen ... -- Department of Computer Science ...
    (sci.crypt)