I watched this excellent discussion between Brian Greene and Max Tegmak
However, I was a little puzzled by both Brian and Max's position on whether math is invented or discovered - and the specific positions they took on it. I am with Max on that one i.e. the mathematics is discovered. For example, the yet unnamed concept of 1 existed even before humans started thinking about 1 or for that matter even earth was formed. A nascent, normal Hydrogen (not isotope) atom had 1 electron in its orbit. It always had and it will always have. The "1" part of "1 electron" is a concept and exists in a platonic sense of the word exist. The "electron" part of the "1 electron" exists in physical sense of the word exist. However I part company with Max when he says that all properties like electron have value -1, 0 or 1 and he says this is true all properties at the bottom and therefore universe itself is math at the bottom. The reason for parting company is that 1 without a unit is just the concept of 1. +1 spin i.e. the property of spin having +1 value is what makes it physical. A 1 by itself, without the additional information 1 of "what" is just a concept and not physical. I think Max is confusing between description of something with something.
On the other hand I did not understand what Brian said that when a person thought about 1 or any other mathematical equation, that is the time when that equation was invented. Yes the "thought" was "invented" by that human. But not the number 1 itself. 1 as a concept without any units ,exists platonically - of course with the platonic sense of the word exist.
I think string theory tries to but in my opinion has fails to demonstrate it's truth, to find what is everything made of i.e. strings. But I can understand that idea that physical universe is made out of physical strings. But then what are strings made of. We can always keep asking that question like a kid - but why? but why?
It may simply be an issue of whether or not words like invention and discovery take into two different sense of the word - platonically exist and physically exist.
DISCLAIMER: Having said that both these guys are million times smarter than I am. So I may not be understanding what they are saying precisely.
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