Michael Barany

Let’s leave philosophers to puzzle over the reality of numbers

Numbers may be abstract concepts, but the figures in our bank accounts and the digits on our clocks are real enough for most of us

  • Comments

  • The Mathematics of the Gods and the Algorithms of Men: A Cultural History

    Paolo Zellini, translated from the Italian by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre

    Allen Lane, pp. 240, £18

The reality (or lack thereof) of numbers is the kind of problem some philosophers consider overwhelmingly important, but it’s of no consequence to just about everyone else. It does not make a wink of difference to your life whether the figures in your bank account or the digits on your clock are, in a philosophical sense, really real, so long as they work as expected.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Get your first month free when you subscribe. After that it’s just £1 a week for full website and app access. There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Offer ends in: ${days} days ${hours} hrs ${minutes} mins ${seconds} secs
Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Read next

Trending

Steerpike

Has Robert Jenrick gone rogue?

Steerpike
A curious performance in the Commons today by Robert Jenrick. The Immigration Minister has long been seen – in the press at least – as a staunch Sunakite, put in at the Home Office to keep a watchful eye on Suella Braverman. But has that all changed after thirteen months at 2 Marsham Street? At

Because you read about heidegger

Latest

Comments

Flash sale:
10 weeks of unlimited digital access for £1

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Get 10 weeks of online and app access for just £1. That's a saving of more than 80% off the usual rate.

Already a subscriber? Log in