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From: ejp@ausmelb.OZ (Esmond Pitt)
Newsgroups: sci.math
Subject: Re: Military funding in maths
Message-ID: <53@ausmelb.OZ>
Date: Mon, 10-Nov-86 22:12:25 EST
Article-I.D.: ausmelb.53
Posted: Mon Nov 10 22:12:25 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Nov-86 07:51:56 EST
References: <307@stracs.cs.strath.ac.uk>
Organization: Austec International Limited, Melbourne
Lines: 30
Summary: Finding a white crow doesn't prove that there are no black crows.

In article <307@stracs.cs.strath.ac.uk>, jml@cs.strath.ac.uk (Joseph McLean) writes:
> 
> >>Mathematics doesn't win wars
> 
> >False
> 
> How so ? ... the French were soundly defeated [at Waterloo]
> [despite having] 8 of the 10 best mathematicians of the age ...

Odd logic from a mathematician (?).
Formally, if W = wars, and W(M) = war was won by mathematics
>>> There is no W such that W(M)
>> Negation of above, i.e. there exists a W such that W(M)
> There exists another W (Waterloo) such that not W(M). Irrelevant.

Mathematics didn't win Waterloo. So what?
Was anyone saying that the side with the best mathematicians _always_ wins?
A counter-instance doesn't prove anything.

If you want a confirming instance, what about scheduling area bombing with LP
in WW2 (disregarding for the moment the debate over area bombing)?
Turing and the lads at Bletchley are supposed to made some difference too.

-- 
Esmond Pitt,				ACSnet: ejp@ausmelb.oz
Austec International Ltd,		UUCP: ...!seismo!munnari!ausmelb.oz!ejp
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