In Mathematics There Is No Hypocrisy
Posted: Tuesday, May 03, 2011
by Joe Pagano
Math by Joe
Mathematics is rife with beauty. Yes beauty. Oh, maybe not the type of physical beauty you are thinking of but a beauty that can only be perceived when you study this subject in all of its fabulous environs. One particular beauty that hooks me to this discipline like no other is that of being without hypocrisy. That's right. In mathematics there is no hypocrisy.
Whether we find the big "H," - hypocrisy - in politics, religion, or philosophy, we are no sooner duped by its subtle penetration into our being than we are left wondering how we ever could be fooled so easily. Thus the religious leader, who seems so pious, leaves us breathless at how moral and ethical he is, when only later we find out about some scurrilous act that he has committed; or the politician who pontificates on the need for Americans to cut wasteful energy consumption and yet is himself a wastrel in the prudent use of such resources.
Yet mathematics boasts of no such thing. In this discipline, we only find black and white. Indeed, one witnesses all the colors of the rainbow-and indeed every gradation of color in between as we run the gamut from red to violet-but we do not find that something of one color suddenly morphing into another shade. Thus when we have a mathematical law or equation, we can be certain that that equation will hold true today, tomorrow, and that it held true yesterday, even though it might not have been discovered yet.
Admittedly mathematics, because of its ability to explain the world around us so well, must by nature be complex; however, once we comprehend its beauty and penetrate into the depths of its soul and realize no hypocrisy is found lurking there, we immediately become a convert-a die-hard fan of epic proportions. Yes, mathematics might not have a beauty comparable to a majestic enclave, but it does have a beauty-unfathomable, consistent, and ever reliable.
So when you hear the word math and start to summon feelings of negativity because of past experience, stop and consider these words: math is not only the key to the universe but also one of the few things in life without hypocrisy. Just for that last statement, mathematics merits our profound respect. Here's to hypocrisy free living!
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)This is really very beautiful. Overcoming hypocrisy might be complicated but not difficult. We just have to start being honest with ourselves first.
Great article...I'm not very good at math but your point is well stated here and I believe it is true as well. Nice!
Still, mathematics has its intrinsic grammar errors; it's pi IS squared, not pi are squared!
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