Comments on: The key was clearly its general-purpose, algorithmic nature https://www.isegoria.net/2026/09/the-key-was-clearly-its-general-purpose-algorithmic-nature/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:09:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Phileas Frogg https://www.isegoria.net/2026/09/the-key-was-clearly-its-general-purpose-algorithmic-nature/comment-page-1/#comment-3762745 Phileas Frogg Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:52:06 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=54677#comment-3762745 The fact that they both arrived at a general method is interesting, and naturally begs the age old philosophical question: “Is reality a mathematical structure? Or, is reality necessarily instantiated with mathematical properties? Or, is reality simply able to be modeled via mathematics?”

I lean towards the 2nd, but I can’t wholly dismiss the 1st and 3rd, though this tidbit does seem to argue against the 3rd indirectly.

]]> By: Bob Sykes https://www.isegoria.net/2026/09/the-key-was-clearly-its-general-purpose-algorithmic-nature/comment-page-1/#comment-3762735 Bob Sykes Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:45:58 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=54677#comment-3762735 In modern American textbooks, Newton’s notation for derivatives (f’) has displaced Leibniz’ (df/dx). A step backwards, in my opinion.

As much as I found the calculus interesting and useful (I am an engineer.), complex numbers and the vast simplifications that follow from them were an astonishment.

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