Are abstractions “real”?
Are numbers “real”?
I know there are distinctions between real numbers, imaginary numbers, and irrational numbers.
But are they real?
They are not empirical.
They are just patterns.
Are patterns real?
Patterns seem to be projections of the mind.
What makes patterns more “real” than others?
Their utility?
How do we decide the utility of patterns, as a tool?
Explanatory Power? Predictive power?
Descriptive power?
Consciousness seems to be a function of the ability to create abstractions
Abstractions are simply a mapping of relationships
William Dare 