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The Philosophy Of Poetry: Is It Maths?

The whole purpose of Philosophy is to ask questions regarding our world. Sometimes, those questions can lead to amazing discoveries (ie; the Earth orbits the sun, not vice versa).

So, we ask questions: questions about mental processes, questions of existence, questions of the natural world as we perceive it.

However, there comes a time when you have to answer your own questions. This is what makes for a philosopher; someone who has ideas, explores the possibility, then influences change by imparting their ideas to a mover and shaker.

It wasn't Gallileo who hypothesized the orbits of the planets; he just made it fact by listening to thinkers (philosophers, by any other name).

This is something a philosopher should never do.... make a closed statement!

I used to believe the above, but I have since learned that, sooner or later, you can't sit on the fence.... you have to make a decision, you have to voice your conviction, you have to have an opinion!

Otherwise, your just a dick-head who thinks too much.

This is not the point of this post. The point of this post is to explore a theory I hypothesised about poetry. The subject came about during a discussion with a philosophy student who also studied psychology, physiology, and psychotelemetry. I was unphased by that last thing, and merely said, "Wow, that's a lot of P's".

(By the way, psychotelemetry is not something you can study at any reputable university. He just said that to gauge my reaction. I passed the test!)

Anyway, we exchanged ideas on the reasons why people are better at some things and not at others. Why are some people talented in certain areas than otherwise? Can talents be learned, or are they "gifted"?

Why is a poet good at his/ her craft, or why is he/ she complete crap?

(Did that last sentence get your hackles up? I hopes so, because it's necessary to be passionate about poetry if you want to follow my next premise).

Can poetry be de-humanized? Can it be dissected, studied, and explained in mathematical terms?

This is my idea, followed by my conviction, so if you're a poet, stop reading now, because I reduce you to numbers! (Oh, by the way... I'm a published poet, so I hate me too!)

Let me explain: Words are powerful; knowledge of words is a powerful tool. The knowledge of the meanings of words can place you at an advantage or disadvantage, depending on who you speak to.

This is nothing new! Evangelists and self-improvement gurus utilize the power of words, combine it with a message, and deliver their sermon. Their words are chosen carefully, or delivered with care.

But, does it go deeper than this?

I write poetry. Some of it's good (apparently) and some of it's only fit for pig swill.

I took a look at some of my printed poems with a philosophical eye, then did the same with a mathematical eye.

My idea was this: words are made up from individual letters. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet. Some are used frequently (E) while some are used seldomly (Q). Some letters look good next to a different letter, and some look awkward. This becomes apparent when a word is mis-spelled.

Letters presented properly create words that can lead to a wholly satisfying sentence!

Music exists by this fact. Music notes follow strict laws of mathematics: cycles of fouths and fifths, sharps, flats, minors and majors... they are sounded by placing fingers on precise frets, keys and nodes.

Can letters be equated to music notes? I think they can be.

There, I just made a closed statement, which makes a mockery of my user name.

But, take a closer look at that last sentence: how many "m's" did I use, and does the sounding of those letters fit with the other letters accompanying them? Could they be considered to form a poetic sentence?

If the letter or word jarrs the sentence, the sentence becomes discordant, like hitting a bum music note. The completed poem suffers because of this.

So, what do you think? Can poetry be reduced to numbers?

.! I finished with a question!

Maths It Poetry Philosophy The

To hijack this thread or start a new one, arg!? Yes poetry can be reduced to numbers. The writer is looking to convey mood (variable A) by using words (variable B ) hence creating emotional reaction ( variable C).

A+B=C .

One would argue that not all people would feel the same (chaos factor). So we add another variable and keep on till all the bases are covered. Now what kind of math it is, is a totaly different conversation.

Edited: Kozak on 22nd Jun, 2007 - 9:07am

The Philosophy Of Poetry: Is It Maths? Health & Special Psychology

A reply to this post has been long in coming, so I thank you, Kozak.

Also, I really liked the way you approached your answer (mostly because it validated my idea)

As for categorizing the type of maths involved, I am not qualified to say. Truth be known, I am hopeless at math. Sure, I can add, subtract, multiply and divide... but beyond that, you may as well talk Greek at me. Algebra, Logarithms, etc.... are as confusing to me as... well, Greek!

And, no! you didn't hijack the thread. you gave it a new dimension (eek! is that also math?)