Matter, Mathematics, and God

This paper contrasts materialism and theism in their ability to give a plausible account of mathematics. The ideal, abstract entities of mathematics do not fit readily within a materialist world. Truth, logic, and mathematics require the existence of universal norms. However, materialism has no place for abstract entities or universal norms. How can such ideal norms, inert in themselves, influence our minds? The indispensability of mathematics to physics is a strong argument for realism. Theism posits that God upholds mathematical truths, which reside in the divine mind. Classical mathematics presumes the existence of an Ideal Mathematician—an all-powerful, all-knowing and infinite God. Since theism holds that man is created in God’s image and that God can communicate truth to us, humans may be expected to have access to mathematical knowledge. Since God has created the world according to a rational plan, the world may be expected to have a mathematical structure.