From BRUNO AUGENSTEIN
I much appreciated John Gribbin’s article (New Scientist, Science, 22
January) on the power of mathematics, and his kind references to a letter
and preprint of mine (in the latter, as a slight amendment, quark pair structures
are conventionally described as ‘mesons’).
On the larger questions he raises of the nature of reality and associated
issues of mathematical Platonism, it is perhaps unfortunate that the work
of the physicist and mathematician can generally proceed without regard
to these questions, with the consequence that these practitioners often
tend to view such considerations as irrelevant maunderings suitable only
for the studies of philosophers – who thus, almost by default, are left
to explore virtually alone these fascinating areas.
Bruno Augenstein Santa Monica, California
