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  1. Newsgroups: sci.math
  2. Path: sparky!uunet!mcsun!Germany.EU.net!Urmel.Informatik.RWTH-Aachen.DE!tabaqui!dak
  3. From: dak@tabaqui.informatik.rwth-aachen.de (David Kastrup)
  4. Subject: Re: Irrational?
  5. Message-ID: <dak.718656281@tabaqui>
  6. Sender: news@Urmel.Informatik.RWTH-Aachen.DE (Newsfiles Owner)
  7. Nntp-Posting-Host: tabaqui
  8. Organization: Rechnerbetrieb Informatik  /  RWTH Aachen
  9. References: <1992Sep30.214743.18350@cs.rose-hulman.edu> <1992Oct1.204515.11508@galois.mit.edu> <COLUMBUS.92Oct2172559@strident.think.com> <1aqoe7INN5r7@agate.berkeley.edu>
  10. Date:  9 Oct 92 18:44:41 GMT
  11. Lines: 20
  12.  
  13. chrisman@wheatena.berkeley.edu (chrisman) writes:
  14.  
  15. >In article <COLUMBUS.92Oct2172559@strident.think.com> columbus@strident.think.com (Michael Weiss) writes:
  16. >>
  17. >>I believe the term "irrational" actually derives from "not a ratio", i.e.,
  18. >>of two integers.
  19. >>
  20.  
  21. >Does anybody know if the common-use word "irrational" (meaning
  22. >nonsensical) is actually derived from the mathematical term?
  23.  
  24. irrational in the common-use derives from the philosophist term ratio,
  25. and does not mean nonsensical. irrational is everything not explainable
  26. by ratio, namely reason. Although lots of proofs of God's existence
  27. have been published in history, it is now rather believed to be
  28. irrational, not expoundable by mere reason (the existence, that is).
  29.  
  30. Anything not accessible to reason can be called irrational. The latin
  31. term ratio in this context does not pertain to a relation between
  32. things, but to reason.
  33.