MATH: DOES IT EXPLAIN EXISTENCE, or is it
really just a tool of the brain? This isn't a curiosity; it's a deep
and powerful question. According to many astrophysicists, math is at
the heart of understanding our universe — and may even one day be the
key to explaining our existence. But now neuroscientists are finding
evidence that math may actually be a concept developed by the brain — a
way for us to make sense of what we can. So which is the truth?
About the Participants
BRIAN BUTTERWORTH — Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London;
RAFAEL NÚÑEZ — Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego and member of UCSD’s Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind;
MAX TEGMARK--Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and member of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
BRUCE LIEBERMAN is a freelance journalist with more than 20 years of experience in the news business. He has written for Scientific American, Smithsonian Air & Space magazine, and Nature about a variety of science topics.
BRIAN BUTTERWORTH — Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London;
RAFAEL NÚÑEZ — Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego and member of UCSD’s Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind;
MAX TEGMARK--Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and member of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
BRUCE LIEBERMAN is a freelance journalist with more than 20 years of experience in the news business. He has written for Scientific American, Smithsonian Air & Space magazine, and Nature about a variety of science topics.