Why doesn't consciousness work create mathematical insight?

[thenondualtankie]

More generally, why doesn't consciousness work improve your ability to solve mathematical problems? After all, don't mathematical problems require a ton of intelligence, which is something we explore in this work?

[Carl-Richard]

Why are you assuming this?

[The Lucid Dreamer]

Haha. Math is dualistic. The whole point of consciousness work is to become non-dual, so the two have almost nothing to do with each other. Doing consciousness work can make your mind more flexible and open, however, so I think it could make mathematical breakthroughs more likely to happen.  

[ChrisZoZo]

 *cough* Ramanujan *cough*

 

[Loba]

I've had a few insights about math but due to not being very good at it I wouldn't have the same insights as someone who understands mathematics as a language and a way of understanding the world.  I strongly believe that people such as this would have the ability to have many different insights into the nature of reality.

If you look at people like Einstein for instance he was able to mix mathematics with imagination, so I don't see why other people who are interested in math couldn't do the same sorts of things.

I have noticed an improvement in my art since working on myself it's almost as if I don't need to practice as much as I used to because my ideas are becoming a little bit more complex although I'm not able to really articulate what those ideas are at this point in time, I feel as though someone who has a propensity for understanding math would have so many amazing insights to share.

I'm surprised that there aren't more threads related to it to be honest.

I have heard that if you mix music with imagination that mathematicians can have very interesting insights.

[Leo Gura]

Most mathematicians aren't even conscious of what math is.

[Jodistrict]

It does.  Shinzen Young says that because of his meditation he was able to understand and teach himself mathematics and science.  He says the greater focus ability of a meditator can be used to understand mathematics.

Edited December 21, 2021 by Jodistrict

[Michal__]

Consciousness work really sped up the process of learning math from me. I have to learn it in order to pass this semester at university. And I'm speaking as a guy who didn't even know high school math not that long ago.

[Loba]

@Michal__ Good for you, that is awesome you learned it so fast!

[thenondualtankie]

14 hours ago, ChrisZoZo said:

 *cough* Ramanujan *cough*

 

@ChrisZoZo I'd love to hear more about this. Should I just watch The Man Who Knew Infinity?

[thenondualtankie]

@Loba You say Einstein mixed mathematics with imagination. Concretely, what do you mean by this?

[Mason Riggle]

Where do you think Mathematical Insight comes from if not contemplation? 

[JuliusCaesar]

There's two basic reasons which contribute most here. First there's the fact that intelligence is a very specific dimension within consciousness. Second, your intentions drive your experiences, and you gain knowledge from experience. So for instance, if you did 30mg of 5 MEO DMT with the intention of acquiring correct understanding of the Unified Field Theory(something that continues to elude current mainstream science) and quantify it. Then that would be likely to produce mathematical insight. However, if you simply did the substance with no intention mathematical insights are unlikely to arise.

[JuliusCaesar]

23 minutes ago, thenondualtankie said:

@Loba You say Einstein mixed mathematics with imagination. Concretely, what do you mean by this?

It means exactly what it sounds like it means. He used his imagination to conduct thought experiments(something Issac Newton also did) which allowed him to intuit what is likely to occur in response to a given stimulus in nature. And he used mathematics to quantify the mechanics of the things his mind had projected(which Newton did too). So it's effectively an example of balanced brain learning(balancing of left and right brain thinking).

[gettoefl]

art = a-wareness r-eplacing t-hought

works for math too, got me to a phd program in it

and as @Loba pointed out Einstein would likely concur

[thenondualtankie]

6 hours ago, JuliusCaesar said:

There's two basic reasons which contribute most here. First there's the fact that intelligence is a very specific dimension within consciousness. Second, your intentions drive your experiences, and you gain knowledge from experience. So for instance, if you did 30mg of 5 MEO DMT with the intention of acquiring correct understanding of the Unified Field Theory(something that continues to elude current mainstream science) and quantify it. Then that would be likely to produce mathematical insight. However, if you simply did the substance with no intention mathematical insights are unlikely to arise.

@JuliusCaesar I want to call bullshit on this statement. Psychedelics severely impair your logical intelligence.

This is actually mostly why I thought of this question in the first place. How can psychedelics raise your awareness so much while inhibiting something like mathematical ingenuity?

[thenondualtankie]

6 hours ago, Mason Riggle said:

Where do you think Mathematical Insight comes from if not contemplation? 

@Mason Riggle Sure, you can call it "contemplation", but the contemplation you do while solving a mathematical problem is largely unaffected by your general level of consciousness (this is the "main dial" that psychedelics turn, according to Leo's terminology). You could say that your level of consciousness matters until it reaches a certain degree - good luck solving IMO problems while in deep sleep - but after that it's seemingly useless.

[Nahm]

Because mathematical insight is appearance, while consciousness work is illusory.