Mathematics is associated with abstraction, generality and simplicity whereas reality is associated with specificity and complexity. Because of this, it might be argued, the humanities disciplines are better than mathematics at providing accounts of the history of societies and the lives of individuals. The aim here is to counter this argument by presenting mathematical accounts of specific complex social realities. This is in accord with recent appeals to peace scientists to engage with scholars in history and other humanities disciplines.
The core idea is that a specific complex reality is an instance of an abstract complex mathematical structure. This idea is elaborated in (1) below and in a section of (2). In (1) it is noted that types (in philosophy), time, space, books, poems, plays, the Bible, songs, music, dances, concertos, concerts have the structure of a partition hierarchy. In (2) the structure of Shakespeare’s play, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, is discussed. In (3) the structure of Wordsworth’s poem, ‘The Daffodils’, is discussed.
(1) Abstract structures and specific cultural products andevents (SM6)
(2) A foundational mathematical account of a specific complex social reality:
conflict in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (PP1)
(3) Dancing with the daffodils - the abstract structure of aspecific poem (SM5)
Note that both (2) and (3) are also of interest to a consideration of lives and histories – see Lives and histories - mathematical accounts.