All was done with… MEASURE NUMBER WEIGHT

An introduction to the new metaphysics of numbers

Jacques VAUTHIER

The often quoted sentence from the book of Wisdom "Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and number, and weight" is nowadays enlightened by the last results in Science. Following the emergence of both arithmetics and geometry, the author shows how the "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences" (Wigner) is amazing in contempory Physics. Numbers are there in quantum physics and geometry is present both in this theory and in Einstein's theory of relativity. But Gödel's theorem is there to temperate a willingness to have at hand a theory of all reality. Rota used to pinpoint "the pernicious influence of Mathematics on Philosophy" a reason for the author to make the point on the new "metaphysics of numbers" which is pervading all the modern philosophy.

***************

Jacques VAUTHIER is Honorary Professor of mathematics at the Sorbonne (Paris 6, Pierre and Marie Curie). He has written many books of mathematics and philosophy of science. He currently teaches at the University of Corsica Pascal Paoli the philosophy of science.