Math and Spirituality: Connections, History and Lessons Learned
Chapter Two
What is mathematical truth?
Mathematics is not invented by humans. It is discovered. It is impossible to even comprehend a universe where mathematical truths do not hold firm. You can imagine a world where gravity, a scientific law, worked differently. It is conceivable that gravity could pull us upwards and we would be walking across the ceiling instead of the floor.
But the same exercise in imagination will not hold in the realm of mathematics. Imagine that you had 2 sticks in one hand and 2 sticks in another hand and you put them down in front of you. When you looked down there were 5 sticks in total. That wouldn’t pass the test. Some being or some phenomena had to add that fifth stick to the pile. To conceive a world where 2+2 geuninely is 5 is not possible.
Here, our imaginative capabilities illuminate a point. Our ability to imagine shows a key difference between mathematical truth and other types of truths. A mathematical truth is more Fundamentally True than other types of knowledge we can gain in our lives. It is not a truth we can invent or alter easily, it is a truth that we come to see as fundamental to our universe. The deeply inherent nature of math is what makes it relevant to our spiritual lives.
Mathematical constructs and mathematical properties are real and ever-present in our lives. They manifest in abstract forms that are unintuitive to the mind. We encounter mathematical properties in visual art and hear patterns in music that spark a deep joy inside of us. And we cannot explain why. We encounter vastly infinite things that overwhelm us and fill our hearts with fear. And we cannot describe these feelings in logical terms. Mathematics provides us the toolkit to understand our spiritual and emotional selves. It is the way we can express concepts that are deeply true about the nature of our universe. It is the basis of the wisdom that has helped humanity find purpose throughout its history.
Wisdom of the Past
This is not some new revolutionary lens. Humans have tied their spiritual wisdom and their mathematical discoveries together long before math even existed as a field of study. In fact the moment a person realized they could “Prove Math”, they started a religion. And even before then we see examples of spiritual practices and concepts informing mathematical discoveries. Hindu-buddhists had a spiritual conception of nothingness which enabled them to use the number zero long before any other civilization. And the adoption of zero as a number caused great controversy for centuries across the world. In the 1900’s a mathematician proved that there will always be new things that are true but cannot be proven. A shocking revelation about the nature of pursuing knowledge that has profound implications.
We will explore all of this history. I will be interpreting the underlying wisdom and lessons from these anecdotes. I hope you find these stories as fascinating as I do. It is a privilege and an honor to share knowledge about these mathematical concepts, not in the way they are taught in school but through this spiritual lens. And I believe that viewing math in this way will serve you and enrich your life.
Chokwe Creation Myth
In our modern times mathematics are fairly standardized. We have adopted the same numeral system across the world. And with technology we can exchange information incredibly easily. However for much of human history, different societies evolved their mathematical understanding in different ways. For a long time the distinction was very binary. There were “advanced” societies and “backwards” ones. Hoewever we now have a more balanced and nuanced view of the world. And it is a fascinating and eye-opening thing to see how different societies came to understand and apply math.
There is a famous tale from a British explorer in the late 1800’s that illuminates this tale. The Damara people of Namibia had a trading rate of of exchange which was 2 sticks of tobacco for 1 sheep. Aiming to hasten the process of trade, a foreign visitor offered to trade 4 sticks of tobacco at once for 2 sheep. This was met with apprehension and the foreigner was suspected of fraud. The trade had to be slowed down. First 2 sticks of tobacco where given for 1 sheep. Then 2 more sticks of tobacco for 1 more sheep. When the foreigner showed that the result was the same as what he was offered initially he was seen as someone with a magical gift.
This tale was widespread as one indicating a lack of mathematical sophistication in Africa during this time. However the explorer, Sir Francis Galton, went on to gush about the mathematical prowess of the Damaras. They had a deep sense of keen observation. One that enabled them to know, in a way other than counting, if any sheep from their flock or oxen from their herd were missing. The Damara were amazed by the mathematical understanding of the British traveler and the British traveler in turn was amazed by the Damara’s very different style of mathematical understanding.
The most fascinating case of this African alternate mathematical understanding can be found a small ways up north in Angola. The Chokwe, also anglicized as Jokwe, people are most famous for their artwork. In popular culture images shown of African scuplture are often Chokwe-inspired. They are also known for designing ornate masks. These masks serve spiritual purposes and are an integral part of rituals performed by the Chokwe people.
The design of interest here is not strictly a piece of art but rather the Chokwe creation myth itself. A creation myth or cosmogonic myth is the story a people tells about how the world came to be. A society’s creation myth is one of the most profound elements of its spiritual framework. It is a glimpse into the spiritual point of view of the culture, often addressing some of the most difficult questions that every human ponders in their lifetime.
The Chokwe creation myth is a geometric design. And the mathematical properties of this design are woven into the wisdom that this myth provides.
