up vote 5 down vote favorite

The question Does $3+2=5$ have a non-physical interpretation? was closed. Though I get the question did not have one particular answer, I wonder, where is the line drawn between philosophy questions that are asked and supposed mathematics questions? Should questions related to the philosophy of mathematics be closed?

share
4  
There have been 48 questions tagged "philosophy". 5 have been closed. – Gerry Myerson Nov 14 '11 at 0:25

1 Answer

up vote -2 down vote

I was guilty of asking that question, 3+2=5. It does appear to be philosophy, so thanks for bringing this up. I have now posed a thought-experiment in the main Maths stack. I think it is precise enough, but it might be criticised as being "philosophy". I have been a maths teacher. I don't see it as philosophy, but practical in terms of what we are doing when we do maths, and has direct educational application, as well as implications in AI. Perhaps the thought-experiments are better placed here...?

share
2  
If by "here" you mean in Meta, no; Meta is for discussions about the main site, not for discussions that you consider to be about mathematics but that are, for some reason, not welcome in the main site. It would be a place to inquire why such questions are not welcomed/are closed, and how to modify them so they are welcomed/not closed, but not for closed questions themselves. – Arturo Magidin Nov 14 '11 at 2:35
2  
And, to add on to @ArturoMagidin comment, perform your thought experiment, develop relevant conclusions, and then ask or propose a question based on those conclusions (only if they are mathematical and not philosophical in nature) with a specific response, that is not poll-like in nature. The site itself is not actually a place for experimentation. I hope this helps. – analysisj Nov 14 '11 at 3:15

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged