2
With that we come to the question of the essence of mathematics. Carl
Friedrich Freiherr von Weizsäcker (1912-2007) outlines an answer to this
in four ascending statements [4]:
1.
Logic is the mathematics of truth and falsity,
2.
Mathematics is the theory of structures,
3.
Theory is the art of the true and the false,
4. Art is the perception of forms through the creation of forms.
A few explanatory remarks should make these statements, which are to
be understood as parables, more comprehensible.
1.
Logic – a branch of mathematics – is the theory of those structures
which are determined by truth and falsity as conceptual pairs.
2.
Structure is the fundamental concept of mathematics: Mathe-
matics studies structures abstractly as structures. Physics, in
contrast, describes (experimental) events with the aid of struc-
tures.
3.
Theory – as special case of art – can be described according to
Weizsäcker as the perception of those forms “which are limited by
the condition that statements on them are possible which can be
characterised as true or false and – in the ideal case – can be
decided“.
4.
Art here includes all traditional arts: music, the visual arts and
literature. Here we must note the shift of emphasis from
“perception“ to “creation“. So the concept of art also includes
artisanship and technology [5].
According to the third proposition, theory thus falls under the concept of
art. Finally, this thesis includes that knowledge is interpreted as
successful action: Through the creation of forms, through an action, that
is a process in time, we recognise forms. Hence, art is characterised by a
double definition: The created art represents something different from
what is perceived by this creation [6]. This statement poses a philo-
sophical question: “Is representation a fundamental phenomenon of
reality?“
With that we can describe the structure of the theses:
•
Logic is a matter of mathematics,
•
Mathematics is a theory,
•
Theory is an art,
•
Art is a perception.
Thus we come to the central question: What is perceived?
Hidden in this question is also the question of the essence of art:
It is – according toWeizsäcker – the stylisation of form to a new form [7].
The photographic work
First, after these preliminary fundamental remarks, I shall attempt an
approach to your photographic work. The photographic cycle “Journey to
the Beginning of Time“ is – in your words – an imaginary journey back to
the time when the earth was in anticipation of its settlement by living
2 -Win Labuda “Evening Sound I“,
Picardy, 2006
