Mathematics: A Human Invention or a Cosmic Truth?

Shariq Ali
Valueversity

Mathematics has always entangled humanity in a fundamental question:
Is it our own invention, or the silent language of the universe that we are gradually learning to understand?

One view is that mathematics is a mental masterpiece created by humans themselves.

From counting on fingers in ancient times to measuring fields, weighing goods in markets, and calculating time—these were all forms of mathematics born out of human needs. This journey eventually led to algebra, geometry, and calculus. We look at clocks, create calendars, arrange bricks in straight lines, and prepare budgets. These are all mathematical tools designed to organize human life. Today’s mobile phones, the internet, satellites, and artificial intelligence all stand on the foundations of these human creations.

Yet, on the other hand, there is a deeper truth: the universe has been governed by mathematical principles since the very beginning. An apple falling to the ground, planets moving in their orbits, the mathematical angles of tree branches, the perfect geometry of a honeybee’s hive, and the structure of DNA—all are mathematical patterns that existed long before humans. Newton, Einstein, and other scientists did not invent these laws; they discovered them.

What is truly astonishing is that sometimes humans develop a new formula purely as a mental exercise, only to later realize that the universe actually follows the same principle—such as black holes, radio waves, or non-Euclidean geometry. First conceived by the human mind, their cosmic existence was discovered later.

It seems as if mathematics is like a river flowing beneath the earth:
some streams we uncover by digging,
and others have been flowing underground all along.

Mathematics is both a human creation
and the fundamental language of the universe.
Perhaps its greatness lies in this very duality.