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The Cheugugi of Joseon: The World’s First Scientific Rain Gauge and Its Multifaceted Significance

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  The Cheugugi of Joseon: The World’s First Scientific Rain Gauge and Its Multifaceted Significance 1. Introduction: Scientific Beginnings Reflected in the Cheugugi The idea of measuring rainfall quantitatively underpins modern meteorology. Remarkably, the first officially adopted scientific instrument for measuring rainfall at a national scale originated in the 15th century Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The Cheugugi was more than a mere measuring device; it symbolized an effort to interpret natural phenomena scientifically and represented a transformative innovation in state administration. Cheugugi, the world's first rain gauge 2. King Sejong and Jang Yeong-sil: Pioneers of Scientific Innovation In 1441, King Sejong issued a decree for systematic measurement of rainfall nationwide, aiming to improve agricultural productivity and establish fairer tax policies. This initiative was not merely observational but sought to capture precise, objective data on how much rain fell , inte...
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The Ontology of Mathematical Programming — On the Limits of Logic and the Unexpressible

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The Ontology of Mathematical Programming

— On the Limits of Logic and the Unexpressible

1. Introduction — I Was Never Good at Calculations

Since childhood, I’ve been deeply fascinated by mathematics.
Not by problem-solving or calculations per se,
but by the persistent question:
“What is mathematics?”

Why does 1 + 1 equal 2?
Why is multiplication a repeated addition?
Why do mathematical rules work the way they do?

Even as I stumbled through standard education, I found myself drawn not to formulas,
but to the nature and origin of mathematics itself.
Over time, one realization emerged with clarity:

Mathematics is a kind of programming language.

Mathematics as an Executable Language

 

2. Mathematics as an Executable Language

Mathematics is structured around symbols, rules, and logical order.
Operators like +, ×, =, ∈, and ∑ resemble functions or control flow in code.

  • Addition is repeated increase

  • Multiplication is repeated addition

  • Mathematical induction mirrors loops

  • Proofs resemble executable programs

Mathematics is, in essence, a formal, executable language that functions only when its inputs and operations are strictly defined.

In this sense, it shares a deep kinship with programming:
both operate on precise definitions and structured logic,
executed step-by-step, conditionally and deterministically.

3. I Wanted to Program the Edge of the Universe

As a child, I imagined something ambitious and strange:

“If I want to know what lies at the edge of the universe,
why not write a program to find out?”

With the right algorithms, data structures, and processing logic,
I believed we could calculate even the limits of existence.

But soon, I ran into a wall.

What exactly is the “edge” of the universe?
Is it a place? A boundary? A dimension? A metaphor?

I realized I could not even begin to code such a thing.
Because I couldn’t define it in the first place.

4. Problems That Cannot Be Expressed

Mathematics only operates within defined constructs.
What cannot be expressed in its language is not computable,
and what is not computable, cannot be solved through math.

That is when I discovered a profound truth:

What cannot be expressed, cannot be calculated.
And what cannot be calculated, remains outside mathematics.

Later, I encountered great thinkers who formalized this idea:

  • Gödel showed that some truths cannot be proven within a system

  • Turing showed that not all programs can decide when to halt

  • Tarski showed that truth itself cannot always be defined in a system's language

Though I knew none of their names at the time,
I had reached the same precipice through raw intuition.

5. The Ontology of Mathematical Programming — My Thesis

So here is what I have come to believe:

Mathematics is an executable language, constructed by humans,
operating only on the world that can be defined.
But beyond this world lies
the unexpressible, the ineffable, the real.

From this, I argue:

  • Not all truths are mathematically expressible

  • Not all problems are programmable

  • Not all existence fits within logic

6. Humanity and the Privilege of Asking

AI can compute, combine, and reason with astonishing power.
Yet, it lacks one crucial faculty:

  • The ability to sense what cannot yet be named

  • To ask a question before a concept exists

  • To explore beyond the boundary of current logic

These capacities belong solely to the human mind.

Though I may struggle with arithmetic,
I persist as a being who asks.

7. Here I Am, Doing What I Can

I did not excel in formal math.
But I never stopped wondering:

Can all of existence be described mathematically?
Can the edge of the universe be defined?
Can the unspoken ever be spoken?

Today, I do what I can:

I write.
I question.
And I share these thoughts with others who also ask.

This, I believe, is how I can contribute to humanity.

8. In Conclusion — Between Math and Silence

Mathematics is a magnificent language.
Programming is its applied syntax.
But there remains a silent space between them,
one that neither logic nor language can fully penetrate.

I choose to dwell at that boundary,
asking the questions that lie beyond calculation.

And one day, I hope that these questions
will help another to glimpse
a new doorway into being.

📚 References and Related Concepts

  • Gödel, K. (1931). On Formally Undecidable Propositions

  • Turing, A. (1936). On Computable Numbers

  • Tarski, A. (1936). The Concept of Truth in Formalized Languages

  • Curry–Howard Correspondence: Theorem ↔ Program, Proof ↔ Type

  • Rzhetsky et al. (2006). Mathematics, Computer Code, or Esperanto?

  • Tegmark, M. (2014). Our Mathematical Universe

by pre2w
View the Korean version


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