Edward Witten on the Relationship Between Mathematics, Truth, and Beauty

Donate to Closer To Truth and help us keep our content free and without paywalls: https://shorturl.at/OnyRq Free access to Closer to Truth's library of 5,000 videos: http://bit.ly/376lkKN What is it about mathematics that mathematicians employ the language of philosophy to speak about “truth” and the language of art to speak about “beauty”? What makes mathematical propositions true? What makes them beautiful. Conversely, can mathematical propositions be true without being beautiful and/or be beautiful without being true? Edward Witten is a theoretical physicist and professor of mathematical physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Witten is a researcher in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathematical physics. Register for free at CTT.com for subscriber-only exclusives: http://bit.ly/2GXmFsP Closer to Truth presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.