Clintwod Iverson C.

Barruga
BSSW – 1A
Math: Invented or Discovered?

Ideas and perspectives on whether math was invented or discovered revolved in our
society, and until this day, there is no absolute answer to that, as the discussion of that is similar
to the concept in philosophy of why various philosophers also have various thoughts about a
certain topic. As human beings, we all possess different perspectives on the world. Mathematics,
for me, is an invention, not a discovery.

The Cambridge dictionary defines invention as something that has never been made
before or the process of creating something that has never been made before. Mathematics in the
early era was not prominent, and ancient people revolved their lives around living, like hunting
for their foods, fighting for their lives, etc. The concept of number was born when the ancient
Egyptians invented it as a way to take note of the goods sold and for other purposes in their
economic lives. By abstracting shapes, lines, groups, and other aspects from the world around us,
we were able to create new mathematical concepts, which we then connected in order to further
our understanding or just for fun! We all know that mathematics revolves around the elements in
the world, such as numbers, linking them to formulas that are then invented by some of the most
famous mathematicians, like Isaac Newton, who invented the formula of calculus, and more.
Before, people used basic numbers to count, such as 1, 2, 3, and so on. Later, humans have
invented more concepts, like negative integers, rational and irrational numbers, complex
numbers, and many more. Mathematics is a human invention designed in a way that suitably
describes the physical world, thus making up new mathematical concepts to explain the idea of
the universe.

Some people say that mathematics was discovered because it is already present in our
universe, but I personally think that the idea is not entirely correct. Thomas Edison once said,
"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk". The process of invention involves
making up new things using the elements present in our world. The light bulb is considered an
invention, but the materials and concept were already present before it was made, such as the
light from the sun, and yet we all regard it as an invention. Much like the concept of invented
objects, math as an idea was also made by a person because any object would not exist if there
was no creator for it. Even though some might say that math is already present, how can you be
so sure that there is no inventor for it? If an archeologist found an ancient technology, it is
natural that the archeologist himself would regard it as a discovery; however, that discovery
wouldn`t exist if there were no ancient people who had invented or made it. Therefore, in my
deeper thinking, I believe that math is an invention.

Mathematics was invented or made with the same concept that there is a creator of our
world and us, humans. You may think that it is just a discovery or an invention, just like my
perspective, but the fact remains that mathematics doesn't really care whether we think it was
created, discovered, or if both played a part in its creation. Whatever our beliefs, mathematics
would still retain its great benefits for us.

Reference:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/invention