Exploring Immortality Cultivation-Chapter 214 - 174 Heart Inquiry

On Earth, natural science had already divorced philosophy.

The essence of philosophy lies in the overarching grasp of "the world." However, the clarity with which one can see the world still depends on how advanced science is, and how far the theories have progressed. Russell once said that any given science, once knowledge about it could possibly be confirmed, would no longer be called philosophy but would become an independent science.

Hence, philosophical systems laboriously constructed by philosophers to accommodate the entire known world would always be shattered by the advancement of scientific theories and breakthroughs. This held true for even the greatest philosophers without exception.

Yet, mathematics, hailed as the "queen of sciences," was an exception.

Mathematics had always been close to philosophy. Although philosophers had never used mathematics to decode the world, nor had mathematicians ever entrusted their learning to the domain of philosophy, both mathematics and philosophy operated as "another world" within the mind, and in this respect, they were very much alike.

Despite Gauss's contempt for Hegel and his belief that Leibniz's distractions with mathematics were a waste of talent, he was actually a person who very much liked mathematics.

Russell, the mathematician who proposed the "Barber Paradox" and sparked the third mathematical crisis, was primarily a philosopher by profession.

And Godel, one of the most genius mathematicians in history, also liked to articulate his own philosophical speculations in his mathematical papers.

In summary...

Any mathematician who doesn't want to be a philosopher is just not a good poser!

Right, in this field full of poshness, could Wang Qi from his past life avoid being mundane?

How can one discern without the emblem of the phantom?

Big reading questions like this one, "expressing one's understanding within the context of language," were what I played with when I was in my teens! If Heart Inquiry Pass is indeed testing this... then I have nothing to be afraid of!

"Only through calculation."

Chen Jingyun said, "Please elaborate."

"In my view, the Dao exists beyond the heart, unattainable by isolated endeavours, inscrutable by mystic thoughts. Because the Dao lies beyond, I see it as flowers through the fog, obscured by a layer dubbed 'mystical beyond the mystical.' Clear calculation shatters this obscurity, building a bridge between 'myself' and the 'Dao.' Mathematics is not the Dao, it is not the eternal Dao, rather it is an artifact of dispelling obscurity, a path to seeking the Dao."

"Bravo," Deng Jiaxuan clapped, "Well spoken."

Especially the words "dispel obscurity" uttered by Wang Qi just now could actually stir him!

Wang Qi proudly smiled—Brother Tiandao's correspondences only encompassed the domain of natural science, these guys probably hadn't even heard of Heidegger's philosophy!

The key was that Wang Qi himself truly thought this way. In his past life, he had his own interpretation of mathematics and now bringing it out was definitely not merely bluffing!

With this thought, Wang Qi glanced at Ke Ha'er again. The Grandmaster from Yangshen Pavilion addressed Wang Qi, "There's no need to look at me. I've fine-tuned your mental state so that you do not wish to lie, thus every word you speak comes from the heart. They all know this."

"Since the dawn of antiquity, what was the basis of mathematics? Through countless eons, how has it thrived?"

In the early ages, when the Human Clan was still in darkness, who established mathematics? And across these eighty thousand years, how had mathematics developed?

"Mathematics began as a necessity for the Human Clan, and thrived because of the Clan's rise."

"Please elaborate."

Wang Qi spoke freely, "Initially, mathematics was merely counting. Hunters and gatherers of the Human Clan needed to count their catches, hence the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. As humans are naturally equipped with ten fingers, mathematical notation naturally evolved into a base-ten system. Later, to depict objects, the Human Clan abstracted images from nature and this led to geometry. This is the origin of mathematics.

As I said before, calculation is the artifact to dispel obscurity and pierce the mystical. The more refined the mathematics, the sharper the 'Seeking Dao Artifact.' Hence, countless predecessors freely perfected mathematics. Therefore, mathematics also flourished alongside the prosperity of the Human Clan."

Ke Ha'er wore a look of astonishment and turned toward Chen Jingyun, "Master Chen, there's no need to inquire further about this child's Dao Heart, it's too perfect! Both I and my disciples have tested many to shock the heart, but we've never known a disciple to speak as he does."

Wang Qi sat on the ground, his fondness for this carefree Grandmaster from Yangshen Pavilion rising rapidly.

"Sect Leader, how great it would be if you could be as carefree as this one!"

Chen Jingyun nodded lightly, "I have my own considerations," and then added, "This is the most important question now, listen carefully."

Wang Qi, seeing his serious demeanor, couldn't help but swallow.

"Is Mathematics complete? Consistent? Decidable?"

Huh? Wang Qi was clearly taken aback.

This question is way different from the previous two!

Is mathematics complete? Can every proposition be proved or disproved?

Is mathematics consistent? Is it impossible to derive any contradictory propositions using logical steps and sequence?

Is mathematics decidable? Can a mechanical method be used to determine the truth or falsity of every proposition?

Each of these three questions strikes at the very foundation of mathematics, and each one is among the most profound issues in the field of logic!

Such a question in an exam like the Heart Inquiry Pass? That's like asking a high school student to solve the standard model field equations—an impossible task!

Wait a second, due to the divergence in history between the two worlds, Godel's counterpart hasn't appeared in Shenzhou Land, so it seems the first two issues are unsolvable at the moment... The third issue was resolved by Alan Turing on Earth, but... I haven't learned about that yet, nor do I know if Shenzhou's Elder Ji Turing has solved the problem of decidability—no, that's wrong, the inspiration for the decidability issue on Earth also came from Godel...

So this is purely a matter of faith?

Wang Qi's thoughts raced, and after a long while, he organized his language, "As for the third question, I believe it is negative... If a calculator could solve all problems, then what's the need for us arithmeticians?"

But how should I handle the first two questions? The answer in the depths of my heart is of course to express that "for a formal logical system, completeness and consistency cannot coexist"... but that's way too specific! If he asks me to "please elaborate," I won't be able to!

Chen Jingyun, observing Wang Qi's troubled expression, nodded. "These three questions are indeed the sharpest of mathematical problems, and you need not delve deeper—now, the last question. Wang Qi, what is your relationship with the Daoist of Uncertainty? These three questions are not within the teachings of the Immortal Institute; did he tell you about them?"

Eh?

Read lat𝙚st chapters at fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓ Only.

Eh eh?

Wang Qi was still astonished, but he found himself saying, "We were neighbors for a time..."

Hell, is this where the drama lies?

They really suspect my connection with the Daoist of Uncertainty!

Fortunately, Chen Jingyun asked about the "Daoist of Uncertainty" instead of "Hai Senbao," or I might have blurted out "Heisenberg is the scientist I admire the most"... damn it, then I really couldn't wash away the suspicion even if I jumped into the Yellow River!

"Besides that, what else has he taught you? You were able to solve the problems in the back hall of Transmitting Technique Hall upon entering the Immortal Institute—does this have something to do with the Daoist of Uncertainty?"

"Besides teaching me to play chess, there isn't anything else," Wang Qi weighed his words, "My solving the problems is unrelated to the Daoist of Uncertainty."

Thank goodness... If the question was "why could you solve the problems"... I was indeed too reckless back then...

Thankfully, he's not versed in verbal tactics...

After hearing Wang Qi's answer, Chen Jingyun glanced at Ke Ha'er, who nodded back at him. Chen Jingyun then stated, "All right, we can now confirm that you have no connection with the Daoist of Uncertainty."

Wang Qi let out a sigh of relief. Damn... Old Hai causes nothing but trouble...

But before he could fully relax, Zhen Chan suddenly screamed in his mind, "Be careful!"