My Issues with Mathematics

Hello,

I love mathematics - I enjoy the challenge of solving a difficult problem, performing a difficult computation, etc. However, in a sense I mind math, because I never have a feeling of rock-solid certainty; it is all-to-easy to misplace a decimal, leave out a step, miscarry a digit, etc. And, when doing mathematics, there isn't just one thing that can go wrong, but any number of them... That makes it very hard to check over your answer to make sure that it is correct (because you could still be wrong at any step) - and why I never have that solid feeling of certainty. Proofs are even harder for me for just this reason: how do you know that what you've demonstrated is correct, when you might have left out something out? Even more, I usually need to visualize to understand mathematics, but you can't just visualize a mathematical proof; that would be like visualizing the entire solution to a jigsaw puzzle at once - there is just too much information to be captured in one image. This is why I'm instead drawn to computer science and philosophy. When programming, there is no need to worry about leaving out a comma, because the compiler will catch any and all syntax errors. And, as input is always driven by output, you can almost always catch a run-time error by systematically testing your program. By the same token, one's philosophical abilities are determined by their ability to write. Therefore, in the same vein, one misplaced period or an inessential logic error will not ruin an essay the same way it ruins a mathematical computation. Therefore, I like philosophy for similar reasons. Nonetheless, when you eliminate the pedantry, I thoroughly enjoy mathematics.

Therefore, what psychologically would cause this? I relate it to tasks I absolutely hate - bookkeeping, accounting, reading/writing instruction manuals, foreign language learning, tax law; boring, unimaginative tasks that I absolutely loathe! Anyway, I'd like to hear your opinion on this...

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My Issues with Mathematics