Terence Tao on Nostr: Addendum: I am certainly not as visually oriented in my mathematics as other ...
Addendum: I am certainly not as visually oriented in my mathematics as other mathematicians that I know: I usually need external aids (kinesthetic, in this case, but more often doodling on pen and paper or a blackboard), in order to be able to utilize visual imagery effectively for mathematics. (In fact, this particular feature of my thinking was documented back when I was eight years old; see page 225 of https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00312075 .)
My theory here is that evolution has not directly provided humans with a specialized portion of the mind to do mathematics. Instead, as each human is exposed to the subject, they learn to repurpose other portions of the brain to help them grapple with this abstract subject. For some, this may be the visual processing centers; for others, language centers; or centers optimized for competition, sensory experience, etc., etc.. Certainly, on talking with other mathematicians, I see a great diversity in how they conceptualize the subject, and it is a particular pleasure to collaborate with a mathematiican with a distinctly different cognitive framework for the subject, as we often both learn enormously from the experience.
My theory here is that evolution has not directly provided humans with a specialized portion of the mind to do mathematics. Instead, as each human is exposed to the subject, they learn to repurpose other portions of the brain to help them grapple with this abstract subject. For some, this may be the visual processing centers; for others, language centers; or centers optimized for competition, sensory experience, etc., etc.. Certainly, on talking with other mathematicians, I see a great diversity in how they conceptualize the subject, and it is a particular pleasure to collaborate with a mathematiican with a distinctly different cognitive framework for the subject, as we often both learn enormously from the experience.