Page:Philosophy and Fun of Algebra.djvu/32

PHILOSOPHY AND FUN OF ALGEBRA to get mathematical certainty in this world," or "You must not push logic too far," or "Everything is more or less compromise," and so on.

Of course, there is no mathematical certainty to be had on those terms. You could have no mathematical certainty about the amount you owed your grocer if you tinkered the process of adding up his bill. I wish to call your attention to the fact that even in this world there is a good deal of mathematical certainty to be had by whosoever has endless patience, scrupulous accuracy in stating his own ignorance, reverence for the As-Yet-Unknown, and perfect fearlessness in meeting the reductio ad absurdum. 28