The Birthday of John Locke (1632) – The Mathematics of Consciousness?

Not a mathematician, but Locke’s essay on human understanding influenced the philosophy of mathematics. He argued that mathematical knowledge is certain because it is about relations between ideas, not physical existence. This led to the view that mathematics is a purely formal, deductive science – a view later refined by Kant and the formalists. Locke’s ideas on primary vs secondary qualities (shape is primary, colour secondary) resonate with the mathematical modelling of physics: mathematics captures structure, not qualia. A thoughtful interlude on what mathematics actually is.