Math Philosophy

Math has a reputation for being inaccessible. People think that it requires a special gift or that comprehension is a matter of genes. Yet, the greatest mathematicians throughout history, from Rene Descartes to Alexander Grothendieck, have insisted that this is not the case.

Your adviser says save. Your boss says take the promotion. Your friends say come on the trip. They're all right. They can't all have the same Tuesday night. You already know what matters. Nobody tells you how to spend it. Whole Life Wealth = Agency × Vitality × Connection It multiplies. So your weakest term is the one capping your life—not your strongest. Doubling what you're already good at barely moves the number. Lifting the one closest to zero multiplies everything else you own.

A description of the relationship between deductive thought and artistic creation.