Math and Spirituality: Connections, History and Lessons Learned
Chapter One
Intro
Mathematics and Spirituality may appear to be entirely unrelated topics. But this could not be further from the truth. Since times long forgotten the two fields have been intertwined. The idea that math should be grouped in with the sciences is a relatively new idea. There was a time when math was taught side by side with religion and spirituality. However, as society became more complex and the need to do computations became more frequent, the spiritual nature of mathematics was suppressed in order to highlight its more “practical” applications.
Mathematics is the art of unveiling fundamental truths about the universe. And it is the best tool we have for understanding abstract entities. There are many abstract entities we are interested in, just by virtue of being human. One of those is the self. The cosmic consciousness, or “god” is another. When I refer to spirituality I mean to be as inclusive as possible. No matter how you identify spiritually or religiously, no matter how you express or manifest your spirituality, this book can prove useful for you. It is a universal experience to struggle with understanding who you are. It is a universal experience to yearn for deeper meaning and grapple with the truth.
I believe that coming to know math will help us with these universal experiences, these all so common struggles. And this belief is not mine alone. There is a rich history behind this mindset and framework, the bond between mathematics and spirituality is a strong one. But in the present day these connections are not well known and the practice of relating mathematics and spirituality is not common at all. This text will go over mathematical concepts in snapshots. At times weaving in rich tales of history and culture.
And at times… not doing that. There’s no time to waste. So let’s begin with a quick spiritual lesson derived from mathematics. No historical context. No table setting.
Commutativity
Why is it that in our lives we find it tricky to remove parts of our selves? And why is it relatively easier to add new things to our self? Eliminating a bad habit from our daily lives for example, can prove quite difficult. On the other hand if you wanted to learn something new you just have to want to do it and then start doing it. If a friend told you they wanted to learn how to play the clarinet, they could just grab one and start playing it. Then sooner or later, they would be a clarinet player. However if a friend told you that they wanted to quit smoking its not such a simple affair. Often people want to quit and they actively try to, but that is not enough.
And this isn’t limited to behavior. If you are some way or identify as some type of person, it typically is a lot of work to remove that “way” or that “identity” from yourself. Not to say that its impossible, some people find themselves in a flexible place where they can remove “notions” from their self very easily. The point is that “gaining something desirable” is typically a simpler more straightforward process than “removing something undesirable”.
So.. why is that? And the answer lay in one of the humblest mathematical properties. Commutativity, or commutative is a word that may ring a faint distant bell. It is a mathematical property that you understand well. And even if you never formally learned it, it will appear obvious and unremarkable.
Adding 3 and 5 will give you 8. Adding 5 and 3 will give you 8. And this holds true for any number. Logically formalized we would say that If A+B=C then B+A=C.
The word “commutative” refers to the operation of addition itself. Addition is commutative because
If A+B=C then B+A=C.
Multiplication is also commutative. 3 5’s are equal to 5 3’s which would give us 15 in total. Which we can formalize to
If A*B=C then B*A=C
The notion of commutativity transcends our day to day operations. We could make one up.
Call it “Blorp”. If 3 Blorp 2 = 78 and 2 Blorp 3 = 78.
Then the operation “Blorp” would be commutative.
Is this clear? As I stated before, commutativity remains obvious and unremarkable.
And there are mathematical operations which do not exhibit this property
5-3 is not equal to 3-5.
And 40/5 is not equal to 5/40
Which is to say that subtraction and division are not commutative.
All of that out of the way. Let’s go back to our original question.
Why is it trickier to remove things from ourselves then it is to add things to ourselves?
The answer?
When we are in the process of building things, we are engaging in a commutative operation.
When we are in the process of removing things, we are engaging in a non-commutative operation.
The difference being that the order doesn’t matter for one, but matters greatly for the other.
If you were to try to add Joy to Yourself. Or add Yourself to Joy. The result would be the same.
But if you were to try and remove Doubt from Yourself or remove Yourself from Doubt, the result would be different.
In the Christian faith it is believed that it would be a waste of time to try to remove yourself from Sin. But it would be a great use of your time to try and remove Sin from yourself.
In Summary
You don’t have to be mindful and precise with your intention when you’re building onto yourself. The result would be the same if you just dove right in.
However when trying to remove something from yourself it will be worth your time to identify your priorities and be precise with your intention. Otherwise you may not achieve your desired result.
This bit of wisdom follows from a mathematical observation. A provable mathematical truth. Mathematical truths are profound. The laws of math occupy a unique space in our world. And it is these distinctive features that make the language of math particularly suitable for understanding spiritual truths.
Next Time: What is Mathematical Truth? AND The Chokwe Creation Myth
