The sane universe

Richard Spencer (LA) 16 September mused on the relationship between math and reality. He proposed it is logic that needs to be owned.

Spencer sees human observations of reality as preceding mathematics. He mocks (apparently) that mathematics originated and exists in the netherworld of forms; thus, he denies that. From there he proceeds to OWN Christians who perform awe at the alignment of mathematics and our reality.

It turns out there exists a field of mathematical epistemology: the "Metamathematics", some call it. From starting axioms we can define a field, and can tell within it what is sense and what is nonsense. We won't ever exhaust mathematical possibility; Kurt Goedel proved that. But we do know this: mathematics is the science of sanity. Mathematics works the same across all sane universes.

A "sane" universe is a universe subject to cause and effect. Our universe expresses sanity by physical dimension one of which dimensions is time. Time locks the spatial dimensions by the speed of light. We happen to inhabit a 3-manifold. Other universes may have other rules; Thurston, Hamilton, and Perelman constrain those universes' geometries in 3-manifolds like our own. As long as one dimension is time and owns a speed-of-light principle, a universe constructed within that x-manifold is sane.

My point is that mathematics exists irrespective of some monkey's ability to solve a quadratic equation. Plato and Pythagoras got it right on that much.

It is possible that Spencer hasn't thought all this through. It is possible he doesn't understand it. It is possible he knows and is lying (I'll be charitable and say, to himself). I don't know which and, I'll be honest, don't care. His philosophy is nuts. Don't follow it.