[FRIAM] truth, reality, & narrative

[jon zingale]

To be clear, I was commenting on what math study feels like. The worst of it
being when I do not actually follow a proof (due to laziness,
ill-preparedness, or any other lack of ability) and somehow come to rely on
the theorem as fact. I suppose this is both unavoidable and an illustration
of my own capacity to blindly follow a perceived authority.

It sounds to me that you are speaking of an explorative mathematical
practice, one with a fixed logic and a context. One where deductions act as
a holonomic constraint for deriving further tautologies[1]. While there is
something of this in any mathematical exploration, I feel that the
characterization is a bit thin. In my experience, the acquisition of
mathematical ideas come with a psychological/conceptual development on my
part, and not simply *more of the same* as *tautology* would imply. This
subjective experience I would not only hesitate to abstract away but
possibly consider the meaningful content. The changes to my mind are what I
seek in mathematical practice, and something like auto-suggestion appears to
sit at its core.

[1] to paraphrase Wittenstein



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