100 Years of Mathematics: a Personal Viewpoint (1981)
“Necessary truth is merely the subject-matter of mathematics, not the reward we get for doing mathematics. The object of mathematics is not, and cannot be, mathematical certainty. It is not even mathematical truth, certain or otherwise. It is, and must be, mathematical explanation.”
The Fabric of Reality (1997)
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David Deutsch 20
British physicist 1953Related quotes

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883), XIX Philosophical Maxims. Morals. Polemics and Speculations.

Les Loix du Mouvement et du Repos, déduites d'un Principe Métaphysique (1746)

“The nice thing about mathematics is doing mathematics.”
Pierre Deligne in: Philip Ball. "Mathematician wins award for shaping algebra: 2013 Abel Prize goes to Belgian Pierre Deligne, who proved a deep conjecture about algebra and geometry." in Nature, 20 March 2013

Elements de la géométrie de l'infini (1727) as quoted by Amir R. Alexander, Geometrical Landscapes: The Voyages of Discovery and the Transformation of Mathematical Practice (2002) citing Michael S. Mahoney, "Infinitesimals and Transcendent Relations: The Mathematics of Motion in the Late Seventeenth Century" in Reappraisals of the Scientific Revolution, ed. David C. Lindberg, Robert S. Westman (1990)

Footnote: In the future by 'mathematics' will always be meant 'pure mathematics'.
The Foundations of Mathematics (1925)

§ 2.
Linear Associative Algebra (1882)
Context: The branches of mathematics are as various as the sciences to which they belong, and each subject of physical enquiry has its appropriate mathematics. In every form of material manifestation, there is a corresponding form of human thought, so that the human mind is as wide in its range of thought as the physical universe in which it thinks.

Source: Linear programming and extensions (1963), p. 2