Are We a Cosmic Fluke?

Do you think it is possible to discover the correct answer to this important question?

I’ve played the YouTube presentation below before, but it has been awhile. Looking at it again and appreciating the logic behind it have brought up a few new thoughts this time around.

To begin, other than a subject we either liked or disliked in school, what is mathematics?

Is it a human invention?

I don’t think so — although I understand why some might. It does seem to come out of our thinking, but still, it isn’t made up. In other words, the world of numbers is attached to something deeper, more solid in a sense, than my flighty imagination. There are relationships within its language that have been proven, as far as possible, to be fixed. For example if 2 + 2 = 4 today, it will be the same tomorrow and forevermore. Sure, we can “redefine things” on the surface, but the fundamental truth is unchanging — so much so in fact, that we refer to them laws.

Of course we can manipulate numbers to lie about what is true, but in doing so we have not altered the basic truth within the discovered laws of mathematics. This means that should we make a math mistake or attempt to trick people into believing something true that isn’t, it is possible, even likely, that others will come along later and be able to show the errors and correct the mistakes. Some people may, for a season, live in fabrications and lies, but the universe never will. I think that’s a pretty good reason to strive to live life as honestly and openly as possible. And this is why I confidently believe life isn’t a random fluke. There is purpose behind it, whether or not I am smart enough to know what it is.