The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
E463103
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences is a landmark 1960 essay by physicist Eugene Wigner that explores why abstract mathematics so powerfully and mysteriously describes physical reality.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics | 1 |
| The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences canonical | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
essay
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philosophy of mathematics work ⓘ philosophy of science work ⓘ |
| argues | that the effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences is mysterious and not fully understood ⓘ |
| author | Eugene Wigner NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
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surface form:
United States
|
| explores | the surprising success of abstract mathematics in describing physical reality ⓘ |
| field |
philosophy of physics
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theoretical physics ⓘ |
| firstPublishedIn | Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasAuthorOccupation |
mathematical physicist
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physicist ⓘ |
| hasCentralQuestion |
Is the success of mathematics in physics a miracle, a coincidence, or a deep feature of reality?
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Why does mathematics, developed independently of empirical observation, so accurately describe the physical world? ⓘ |
| hasForm | scholarly article ⓘ |
| hasInfluencedPerson |
Hilary Putnam
NERFINISHED
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Mark Steiner NERFINISHED ⓘ Max Tegmark NERFINISHED ⓘ Roger Penrose NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasKeyConcept |
a priori structures in science
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contingency of scientific laws ⓘ empirical science ⓘ mathematical discovery vs. invention ⓘ mathematical formalism ⓘ predictive power of mathematics ⓘ |
| hasReception |
considered a classic essay in 20th-century philosophy of science
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widely cited in discussions of science and mathematics ⓘ |
| hasTitlePhrase | unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced |
discussions on the nature of scientific explanation
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philosophy of mathematics debates ⓘ philosophy of science debates ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainTopic |
applicability of mathematics
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epistemology of science ⓘ mathematics ⓘ natural sciences ⓘ philosophy of mathematics ⓘ philosophy of science ⓘ |
| notableFor |
coining the phrase "unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics"
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highlighting the problem of the applicability of mathematics ⓘ inspiring later essays on the effectiveness of mathematics ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1960 ⓘ |
| publisher | John Wiley & Sons NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| questions | why mathematical concepts developed without physical motivation apply to the physical world ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered?
NERFINISHED
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The Applicability of Mathematics as a Philosophical Problem NERFINISHED ⓘ The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Data NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| timePeriod | 20th century ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
Wigner Jenő Pál
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notableWork
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The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
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Richard W. Hamming
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notableWork
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The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
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this entity surface form:
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics