In 1960 Eugene Wigner wrote the famous article: “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in The Natural Sciences”. Here Wigner claims mathematics is the star of the show in natural science,...Show moreIn 1960 Eugene Wigner wrote the famous article: “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in The Natural Sciences”. Here Wigner claims mathematics is the star of the show in natural science, as mathematical formulations lead to amazing and accurate descriptions of a large class of phenomena. Mathematical concepts, although invented in isolation from the natural sciences, are effective ‘beyond all reasonable explanation’. This effectiveness has puzzled commentators ever since. But Wigner seems to presuppose a fairly simplistic relation between mathematics and the natural world: the effectiveness of the application of mathematics to the world can be immediately interpreted as effectiveness of mathematics itself. But is it indeed that simple? Should we not pay more attention to the process of application itself?Show less
