I remember my math professor at university telling me that truth in mathematics was a social construct, and that nothing was true until a social consensus had been reached between mathematicians.
This struck me at the time as a very powerful statement, yet unexpected, since very much not what most people expect from mathematics. After all, it's supposed to be a field where there is such a thing as a (most of the time) reachable truth!
This struck me at the time as a very powerful statement, yet unexpected, since very much not what most people expect from mathematics. After all, it's supposed to be a field where there is such a thing as a (most of the time) reachable truth!