Omaha daily bee., 1916-03-27

seif-evident truths, absolute at all At
best Il consists OF a series Of equations
or propositions of equality. so arranged
that their elements are confronted al last
in their simplest state and the two state
ments which we wish 20 prove Identical
are shown TO be So
II then the main reason for pushing
higher mathematics be only for culture OF
pure unadulterated deductive logic,
priori. cut II out, for II does not. II the
world had to depend on deduction Cfor we
can never grasp the absolute), which Il
did TIL recent times we would never get
anywhere, for like higher mathematics it
IL purely an abstraction of mind and pays
no attention to the senses on which mod
ern progress is builded by science. To be
still predicating declaring and affirming
truths. self evident "a priori), like Keno
phanes. Socrates and Plato. who In this
order affirmed the three peaks OF the
Grecian philosophy (the rocks OF ages Of
all time. that we take for granted and
believe (greatly on faith) namely. the
,universals, absolute truth. goodness and
beauty These are not tangible 10 the
perception OF our senses nor come within
our experience az self-evident, but by a
priori proof only. Before them as deduc-
tive processes OF the mind. the great en-
gines of science are silent standing aloof
as from religion, saving wood. for science
cannot bring such attributes and feelings
as yet forward into the cold light Of ex-
perience. classification and Identification,
which il the modern logic Of induction or
a posteriori or from cause to effect II
is now the scientific idea that the world
exists as a thing Independent of the mind
baf ma hell ir,
the real and not idealism and things sub
iective go much and hence the abstrac-
tions of mathematics are out OF place and
the same time given might be best to
teaching modern sciences
Why not teach logic itself, sometimes
called the science of the sciences? Or
why not evolution and the origin of
specles7 And there would be less occa-
sion to debate in the Young Mems Chris
tian association whether there were two
Adams, for otherwise how did Cain get
wife In the land OF Nod? Here Is what
ID. e. Smith, professor OF mathematics In
Columbia says: 81 maintain that algebra
is not to be taught on account of it's util-
ity or any benefit that may be supposed
to be got from 1t, but because It is a part
of mathematical truth. For the mer-
chant, lawyer and mechanic 1t Is OF slight
| practical value" Algebraists agree today
that axioms are not self-evident truths.
but merely general statements that need
be considered with care in the light Of
modern science. Holmholtz saw clearly
that space and geometric axioms could no
| longer be extolled as self-evdent a
| priorl truths and that our notion OF
parallel lines being indefinitely prolonged
| without meeting were assumptions that
| could not be demonstrated. He saw that
| the trouble with Euclids geometry was
that It assumes more than is needful and
necessary. He said he could conceive of
being conscious of only two dimensions in
space and others conscious of four dimen-
| sions. He thought we might know more
of this fourth dimension in space II we
had some sense organs to make us know
of its existence and that possibly the soul
In the spirit world was Of this dimension
to us. GEORGE p. WILKINSON.